


Project Legacy

by Flurrbee



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Renegotiated Sokovia Accords, Angst, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hydra (Marvel), Kidnapped Peter Parker, Manipulative Nick Fury, Peter Parker Whump, Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, SHIELD, Secret Past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2020-10-18 22:11:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 65,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20646482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flurrbee/pseuds/Flurrbee
Summary: Project Legacy is one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most closely guarded secrets.  Minor children of deceased agents are trained and used for special projects.  Peter Parker has been part of Project Legacy since he was five years old.  Tony Stark and the Avengers have no idea that their young teammate works for S.H.I.E.L.D.As Peter heads off to his annual summer camp (training), he wishes he could tell them everything. But he knows the consequences of them eventually learning the truth will change everything.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There’s a lot of canon divergence in this story. S.H.I.E.L.D. was infiltrated by Hydra, but not as pervasively as in the movies. Therefore, S.H.I.E.L.D. is still active, but has fewer resources and is rebuilding. Civil War happened, but the Accords have been revised and the Avengers team has recently reunited. Infinity War hasn’t happened.

Tony was getting used to having all the Avengers back at the compound. They had returned several weeks ago, after the Accords had been completely revised and the rogue Avengers had been pardoned. Everyone was working on resolving their personal issues and rebuilding what they had lost. They were actually talking and trying to reestablish their trust in each other. 

To be honest, Tony found that it was nice to have the living quarters filled again. The residence wing had seemed so lonely and empty. It felt good to train together and have meals together. Tony was starting to feel like they really were a team again. But now, the one team member Tony enjoyed having around the most was getting ready to leave. 

Peter had been staying at the compound most weekends for the past several months. His summer break from school had started a week ago and Peter had spent the entire week with Tony and the other Avengers. 

At first, the returning Avengers hadn’t known what to think of the boy. Most of them had been wary of him, worried about his youth and inexperience. More than one of the Avengers had lectured Tony about his mistake of recruiting a teenager. But as the team got to know Peter, they grew to accept him as a young hero. They respected his abilities and accomplishments, even as they recognized his need for training and guidance. 

When the Avengers saw Tony and Peter together, they were amazed by how changed the billionaire seemed to be. When interacting with Peter, Tony was relaxed, attentive, protective, and affectionate. Some of the team even whispered the description _ parental _ when they talked about it. 

Now Peter was getting ready to head back to Queens. Tomorrow he would be leaving for his annual summer camp. Tony knew the camp was important to Peter, but he was sad to see the Kid go. 

Tony and Peter had made the most of what would be the Kid’s last day at the compound for a while. They had worked in the lab, watched movies, even went for a swim. Now they were sitting at the kitchen island eating pizza and talking about the summer camp. 

Peter had mixed feelings about going away. He loved going to the “camp” each summer. Sometimes it felt like the only place he could really relax and be himself. The only place he had no secret identity, no secret projects, no stress about anyone discovering his hidden truths. And he had friends at camp who understood things his school friends would never be able to comprehend. It felt like a huge weight off his shoulders just to be there. Plus he actually had fun with the work, both his assignments and his personal interest projects. He had exciting ideas about what he wanted to accomplish this summer.

But Peter knew he would miss Tony, May, Ned, and the Avengers. He felt especially guilty about Tony. Peter wished that he could tell Tony the truth about the camp and about his past. But every time Peter had asked - practically begged - for permission to tell Tony, he had been denied. 

Tony didn’t have a high enough clearance to know the truth. Project Legacy was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most closely guarded secrets. Tony wasn’t allowed to know that selected minor children of deceased S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were trained and used for special projects. And the so-called summer camp was an essential part of that training. 

The consequences of telling Tony without permission would be severe, so Peter kept quiet about it. Tony only knew his cover story. Peter and May had told him that Camp Legacy was a highly exclusive academic summer camp that just happened to be run by old friends of Richard and Mary Parker. 

“So you go this Camp Legacy every summer?” Tony asked him again as they ate, even though they had talked about this before.

Peter nodded and smiled. “Yes, every summer since I was five. When I was little, I only went for a few days. And then as I got older, it was a week then two weeks. The amount of time gradually got longer. The past couple of years I’ve gone for about six weeks or more.” That part was not a lie, at least. 

“That long? Six weeks? Or even more?” It sounded like forever to Tony.

“It depends on how my projects go. Sometimes I need more time to finish whatever I’m working on.” Pete explained.

“You’ll be gone more than half your summer break.” Tony said with disappointment. 

Peter nodded. “I know. But it will go by fast. It always does.”

“Maybe for you. It won’t for me.” The man almost seemed to be pouting. 

Peter gave him a small, reassuring smile. 

Tony sighed. “Is it the same group of kids every year?” he asked.

“Yeah, for the most part. Sometimes there’s a new face or two and of course kids eventually age out, but otherwise it’s the same kids. It’s a good group.” The boy smiled, obviously looking forward to seeing his friends again.

“Are you going to call or text and give me rambling details of what you’re doing?” Tony teased him.

Peter shook his head. “No access to cell phones allowed. They’re pretty strict on that. But I should be able to send you a rambling email a couple of times.”

Tony was surprised by this, but tried not to show his dismay. It was bad enough that he wouldn’t see Peter. It was disappointing to know that their communication would be so limited. 

“Are you planning to take your suit?” he asked.

Peter shook his head. “I’m going to leave it here. You wanted to do those updates on it. You might as well do them while I’m gone. Camp doesn’t need Spider-Man. And there’s really no time or place for me to go out crime-fighting,” Peter told him. 

That wasn’t the full truth. He wouldn’t be going patrolling. But the fact was that he didn’t need the suit at Camp Legacy because everyone there - both the staff and the kids - knew all about his alter ego anyway.

“Sure. It won’t take long to do those updates.” Tony assured him. “Who knows, if you’re gone too long, I might come up with a whole new design,” he joked.

Peter finished his pizza and drink. “Don’t go too crazy with it,” he laughed. The teen slid off the bar stool. “I’m gonna go grab my stuff.” He headed to his room. 

Tony was cleaning up from their dinner when Clint walked in and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. 

“The improvements you’ve done on the compound here are really impressive. The facilities are amazing - the pool, the gyms, the theatre and everything else. It’s almost like a resort.” Clint commented to Tony. 

Tony was surprised by the compliment. “You should bring the family up for a week or two later this summer,” Tony told the archer, suddenly feeling generous. “I’m sure the team would be happy to see Laura and the kids again. And Peter would love to meet them.”

Clint thought about it for a few minutes. “Is Peter going to be here all summer?” 

“Part of it.” Tony replied. “He’ll be at summer camp for the next six weeks or so, but then he’ll most likely be here the rest of the summer.”

“Spider-Man goes to summer camp?” Clint asked incredulously. Honestly, the details of having a teenaged superhero around could be mind boggling at times.

Tony chuckled. “No, but Peter Parker does. It’s an elite academic type of camp, not an outdoorsy camp.”

Clint was quiet in thought for a moment. “My kids would love the grounds here. And Laura would enjoy it as a sort of vacation, even with the Avengers around. They could probably come up for a few days. But it would have to be while Peter’s away.”

Tony was surprised by that. “What? You don’t want them to meet Peter?”

Clint sighed. “Look, it’s not personal, Tony. I just don’t think Peter is the kind of kid that my kids need to be around.”

“Not personal? How is that not personal?” Tony nearly shouted. “And what do you mean by that, anyway? Peter is a straight A student at one of the highest ranked high schools in the state. He’s the smartest kid on his Academic Decathlon team. He’s brilliant and kind and hardworking...”

“He’s a teenage vigilante.” Clint interrupted. “He’s a child soldier. I don’t need my kids around that.” 

Tony bit his tongue. Although technically accurate, he hated when the other Avengers described Peter in those terms. 

Clint continued, “Cooper is only a couple years younger than Peter. Lila is a very impressionable preteen. My kids like Spider-Man. I don’t need them finding out that Spider-Man is a teenager and thinking it’s cool to be fighting crime at that age.”

“So you’re saying that you think my kid would be a bad influence on your kids,” Tony stated harshly. 

“I’m sorry, but yeah I do,” Clint admitted. After a moment he added, “You do know Peter’s not really your kid.”

“You do know he really is. In every way that matters anyway.” Tony quickly snapped back.

They heard a small cough from the doorway and both men turned to look. Peter stood there, duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He had obviously heard their entire conversation. 

Clint grimaced. “Look, Peter I’m sorry you heard that. It’s just...”

“It’s fine, Agent Barton,” Peter interrupted, “I get it.” He tried to brush it off, but the hurt was evident in his voice. 

Peter turned to Tony, “I gotta get home. I need to spend some time with May before I leave in the morning.”

He gave Tony a quick hug goodbye and then hurried off to find Happy for a ride home. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Tony learns the truth about Peter’s summer camp, he has more questions than answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had wanted this chapter to be about Peter at camp. But it didn’t work without providing more background information first. So we're going to stay with Tony’s perspective for a while and then in a couple chapters we will catch up with what’s been going on with Peter.

Despite the return of all the Avengers, the compound seemed strangely empty to Tony. It wasn’t a lack of noise or activity, the team provided plenty of those. It was the absence of one particular voice, one specific bundle of energy. 

Peter had been at camp for two weeks and during that time, Tony had not heard from him even once. Not one call or text. The lack of communication was very unlike Peter. It put Tony’s nerves on edge and made him feel off balance. 

He had called May Parker several days ago, demanding to know how to get in touch with the boy. May had chuckled at him good-naturedly and had assured him that everything was fine. It was perfectly normal, she told him, to not hear from Peter for long stretches while he was at camp, even several weeks at a time. The kids were supposed to be focusing on their academic enrichment and their special projects. Therefore the staff strictly limited the campers’ access to their cell phones and other distractions. Once every couple of weeks, they would allow email access. Since Peter wasn’t one to send handwritten letters, he would wait until then to send something. 

Tony was in his workshop when FRIDAY announced that he had an email from Peter Parker. The news lifted his spirits immediately and he wasted no time in opening the message. 

It was just a short note. Peter wrote that he missed Tony and the other Avengers, but was having a good time and was happy to see his camp friends. He was learning some new topics in advanced organic chemistry and was improving his German. (Tony hadn’t even known the Kid spoke German.) Peter was making good progress on his special project for the summer and was quite proud of it. Tony was a little confused to find that the end of the note included a message for Clint. He headed to the common area to find the archer. 

“Hey Birdbrain, I finally got an email from the Kid and he included a message for you,” he called out as he entered the living room where Clint and Nat were lounging while watching television.   
  
Clint was surprised. “Really? What did he say?”   
  
“He wanted me to read you the following: Agent Barton, I’ve been thinking a lot about how you said that I would be a bad influence on your kids. I think I understand your concern. The staff here at Camp Legacy seem to think I’m pretty good with the younger kids. But your kids aren’t Legacy kids and you probably wouldn’t want them to be. I just wanted to let you know that I get that.”   
  
Clint and Nat looked at each other in shock. 

Tony shrugged. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I think you get the meaning.”  
  
Clint shook his head. “It makes sense. I got the meaning… Camp Legacy… Peter’s in Legacy… no way.”   
  
“The name could be just a coincide,” Nat pointed out. Then she added, “Although if Peter is part of Legacy, that could explain some things.”

“What are you two going on about?” Tony demanded. “What do you know about this place?”

The two spies had a silent conversation with their eyes.   
  
Clint sighed and turned to Tony. “Project Legacy is a highly classified S.H.I.E.L.D. program. They recruit minor kids of deceased agents. Kids with special talents.” 

“Recruit them for what?” Tony asked. 

“Recruit isn’t really the right word, since it implies the kids have a choice,” Nat interjected. 

Clint went on, “S.H.I.E.L.D. trains the kids and occasionally uses them on special assignments.”   
  
“What? S.H.I.E.L.D. uses kids? What kind of special assignments?” Tony was stunned. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

“I’m not sure.” Clint replied. Then he asked suspiciously, “You didn’t know?”

Tony looked him incredulously, “How would I know about that?”

“The first time you met my kids, you accused them of being small agents!” the archer reminded him. 

Tony’s eyes went wide. “I was joking. I had just found out that you had a wife and kids and that you had been hiding them from us all that time.”

“Yeah, well programs like Project Legacy are part of the reason I’ve kept my kids off S.H.I.E.L.D.’s radar.” Clint told him. 

“How do you even know about this?” Tony wanted to know. 

“Nat and I have done security drills at the facility, just not while the kids were there,” Clint explained. 

“This is all very interesting,” Tony said abruptly. “But you said Project Legacy was for kids of deceased S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Peter’s parents weren’t S.H.I.E.L.D.” 

“What do you know about them?” Nat asked pointedly.

Tony frowned. “Probably not as much as I should,” he admitted quietly. “Before recruiting the Kid, I did some research into his background. But when I found out that his parents died when he was little, I focused more on his Aunt and Uncle who raised him.”  
  
Nat asked, “What were his parents’ names?”   
  
“Richard and Mary Parker. He was a scientist and she was a translator, I think.”   
  
“Mary Fitzpatrick?” Clint asked. Tony nodded. Clint looked at Nat, astonished. “Peter is Rick and Mary’s kid? What the hell?”   
  
“It looks that way, That would definitely make him eligible for Project Legacy,” Nat replied. It was one of those rare times when the surprise showed on her face.   
  
“What are you talking about?” Tony’s voice was raising with impatience.   
  
Clint stated to tell what they knew. “They did work for S.H.I.E.L.D. Rick Parker was a geneticist on some top secret projects. I didn’t know him well, but I met him a few times. He was brilliant… and a real nice guy too. Mary was a tactical agent. Did field work and your normal spy stuff. I worked with her quite a bit. She was smart… not an obvious genius like Rick, but really clever. She spoke a half-dozen or so languages. And she had a strong sense of duty, a fierce loyalty. She loved her work.”   
  
Nat took over the story. “Rick and Mary met on an assignment. They fell for each other immediately and fell hard. Rumor was they eloped and kept it secret. No one knew until it became apparent that Mary was pregnant. Nick Fury was beside himself when he found out. She had still been doing high risk missions, not telling anyone about the pregnancy.”   
  
Clint gave a quick, humorless laugh. “Which means Peter’s been going on missions since before he was even born.”   
  
Nat shot him a look, then went on. “Fury wanted her to terminate the pregnancy. But Rick and Mary both wanted that baby so much. Fury finally relented and moved her to data analysis and translations.”   
  
Tony wasn’t sure what to think of all this. It was certainly not what he had expected. “What happened after Peter was born?”   
  
Nat and Clint exchanged another look. Nat shrugged. Clint sighed then said, “They all seemed to fall off the face of the earth for a while. I heard that the baby was born, but no one even seemed to know any details or even if they had a boy or a girl. After a couple years I ran into Mary again. She would only say that they were all happy and healthy. She didn’t share any information about the kid. I was hiding my own wife and child from S.H.I.E.L.D. by then, so I understood. The next thing I heard about them was the plane crash. I never knew what happened to their kid afterwards.”   
  
“Do you know when Peter started going to Camp Legacy?” Nat asked. 

“He was five,” Tony replied quietly. 

“So just after his parents died,” Nat commented. 

“Yeah, but I can’t see May Parker agreeing to something like this,” Tony said, shaking his head. 

“She probably didn’t have any choice,” Clint told him. 

Tony scowled. “If she didn’t have a choice and you said the kids don’t have a choice, then who does?” he demanded. 

“The parents.” Nat said. “S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who are parents can decide that if they die, their kid will be in Legacy.” 

“It’s not quite that simple. But it’s something like that.” Clint added. “The kids also have to qualify by having some kind of special talent. Most of the kids in Legacy are geniuses… like Peter.”

Tony shook his head. “Why would parents agree to this?” 

“They’re S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who truly believe that what they are doing is protecting the country and the world. They believe it so much that they are willing to sacrifice not just their own lives, but the lives of their children in service of the greater good.” Nat explained.

”That would describe Mary,” Clint said quietly. 

Tony ran a hand over his face. This was a lot to take in. A particular question was nagging at him. “How does all this play into the Kid becoming Spider-Man? Was that S.H.I.E.L.D.’s doing?”

The two spies looked at each other and shrugged. They didn’t have an answer for that. 

Clint said thoughtfully, “Fury once told me that a kid with Rick’s genius and Mary’s sense of duty was going to be a force to be reckoned with. I don’t know if Spider-Man is what he had in mind, but he was right.” 

Tony sighed. “Okay, but why didn’t Peter tell me any of this?” That was the biggest question of all.   
  
Clint and Nat realized it at the same time. “We’re idiots!” Clint exclaimed while Nat muttered “I can’t believe that Kid set us up.”

The billionaire shot them a questioning look. 

“Your clearance level.” Nat explained. “Legacy is really top secret. Very highly classified. You don’t have a high enough clearance to know about it. Peter would get into serious trouble if he told you. So instead, he made sure that we would tell you.”   
  
“And we fell for it,” Clint added. “I knew that Kid was a bad influence.”   
  
“He couldn’t tell me because of my clearance level?” Tony raged. “Call Fury. Call him and tell him I want to talk to him _ now _ . I want to know whatever else he’s hiding about Peter.”   
  
Nat pulled out her phone to call the S.H.I.E.L.D. Director. 

Clint snickered. “You know what this means, Stark? The Kid has a higher S.H.I.E.L.D. clearance level than you do.” The archer laughed. 

Tony didn’t find that nearly as funny as Clint did. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony, Clint, and Nat take a field trip. When Tony demands answers from Nick Fury, they learn more about Project Legacy and the real story of Spider-Man’s origin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had the rest of the background information that needs to be covered. In the next chapter, we’ll see what’s been going on at camp.

Nat hung up the phone and turned to the men. “Fury will be here first thing in the morning. That’s the earliest he can get here.”

Tony frowned, he wasn’t happy about having to wait even that long to get his answers. 

“He also said the three of us should pack our bags,” Nat added. 

“Why? Where are we going?” Clint asked. 

Nat smirked. “Apparently we’re going to summer camp.”

——————

Early the next morning, Tony found himself sitting in the back of a quinjet headed to an undisclosed location. Clint was beside him and across from them were Nick Fury and Natasha. 

“So it’s true? S.H.I.E.L.D. uses child agents?” Tony asked in an accusing tone. 

“No,” Fury answered calmly. “Legacy children are S.H.I.E.L.D. assets, not agents.” 

“Assets. You mean like property,” Tony said with disgust. 

Clint had a deep frown, while Natasha kept a carefully neutral expression. 

“Resources,” Fury corrected. “Entrusted into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s care by their parents. Look, sometimes good agents get killed. That’s just a fact in the work we do. And it’s always a huge loss to the agency. But when agents leave behind a child as their best legacy, we need to take full advantage of that resource.” 

The archer leaned forward. “How many kids are involved in Project Legacy?” 

“Currently we have twenty-six. We start them as young as five and they age out of the Project at eighteen. Right now, it’s a smaller group than usual. When Hydra was discovered within S.H.I.E.L.D., several of the assets were lost in the resulting attacks.” Fury explained solemnly. 

“Children were killed?” Nat asked in a low voice. 

Fury didn’t say anything, but nodded sadly. 

Tony tried to contain his anger. “Who thought up this nightmare?”

Fury stared at him for a moment. “The original founders of S.H.I.E.L.D. Your father was a huge proponent of the Project. If your parents had died when you were still a child, you would have been brought up in Project Legacy. In your case, it might have actually been an improvement.”

Tony probably shouldn’t have been surprised by this news. From what he had heard already, Legacy sounded like something Howard would be in favor of. 

“We’re not here to talk about me. We’re here to talk about Peter.” Tony reminded the Director. 

Fury chuckled. “Sure. We can talk about Parker. What do you want to know?”

Tony had so many questions, he wasn’t sure where to begin. “You’re saying that this is what Richard and Mary Parker wanted for their son,” Tony challenged. 

Fury nodded. “They enrolled him before the ink was even dry on his birth certificate.”

After thinking for a moment, he asked, “What about May Parker? As Peter’s guardian, where does she fit in all this?”

“She’s not really Peter’s legal guardian,” Fury told him, much to Tony’s dismay. “All Legacy assets are under the legal guardianship of S.H.I.E.L.D. We allow the assets to reside with relatives or other appropriate adults as long as everyone follows the rules.”

“What rules?” Nat asked, her voice more harsh than usual. 

“First and foremost is maintaining the secrecy of the Project. A five year old can’t sign an NDA, but they do understand keeping their mouth shut if they want to live with someone who loves them,” Fury said. 

“That seems extreme,” Clint commented. 

“It’s generally effective,” Fury countered.

“That’s why Peter didn’t tell me any of this, isn’t it?” Tony yelled angrily. “Because you would have removed him from May’s care!”

Fury ignored the billionaire’s outburst. “Other rules include attending required training and missions, checking in regularly, staying out of trouble, and doing well at school. The adult relatives are responsible for the day to day care of the assets and get a generous stipend to cover their expenses like clothing and food. In Parker’s case, the food bills can be extensive, as I’m sure you know.” 

Tony realized that this was why May Parker and refused all his offers of financial help. He had been concerned about her ability to cover the grocery bill, given Peter’s superpowered metabolism and extraordinary appetite. However, May had always insisted that Peter’s parents had provided enough resources to take care of the boy’s expenses. Tony had assumed that meant a bank account or trust fund of some sort. 

Fury continued, “S.H.I.E.L.D. maintains control over the assets’ education and their medical care…”

“ _ I _ provide Peter’s medical care,” Tony said emphatically. 

Fury smirked. “Sure you do, Stark. At the Avengers compound, which is still a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, where the medbay is staffed by S.H.I.E.L.D. doctors and nurses.” 

Tony swore under his breath, realizing Fury was right. 

“What kind of missions has Peter done?” Nat asked. 

“Parker started doing missions when he was eight years old. His first were trips with adult agents. If we need a pair of agents to go undercover as a married couple, we’ll often send a Legacy kid along to make it look like a real family. Parker did several of those. As he’s gotten older and more skilled, we’ve used him for recon work and collecting intel. It’s amazing how kids can sometimes get into places that adults can’t even get near. Parker’s been particularly talented at that.” 

“What about how Peter became Spider-Man? Are you responsible for that?” Tony demanded to know. 

Fury sighed. “Spider-Man wasn’t our intention.”

“Oh, really? It’s just by chance that one of your child agents - sorry  _ assets _ \- got bitten by an experimental spider?” Tony’s voice was full of contempt. 

Fury regarded the billionaire coolly, then said, “We knew that OsCorp was up to something, but none of the adult agents we sent in were able to get close to that lab. So we set up the field trip for Parker’s class. We were able to arrange a special tour with advanced access since it’s a STEM school for gifted kids. Parker’s assignment was to wander away from the group and get into the lab. He was just supposed to gather information. He wasn’t supposed to get bitten by a damned spider. That was his own fault.”

Tony frowned. “So you’re fine with sending a child on a mission that your adult agents couldn’t accomplish, but when something goes wrong, that’s the child’s fault?” He said angrily. 

Fury ignored the remark and continued, “The uncle contacted us when Parker got sick that night. We took him to a S.H.I.E.L.D. medical facility, but there wasn’t much we could do. He recovered after four days and we sent him home. We didn’t know about his new powers until after.”

Clint scowled, “After? After what?”

Nat guessed, “After Ben Parker died.” 

Fury nodded. “Right. Parker’s uncle died and then Spider-Man started protecting the neighborhood.”

Clint made a noise of disgust. “And you thought it was a good idea to let a fourteen year old with superpowers fight crime.”

Fury shrugged. “There was some debate about the issue. Some felt it was a unique opportunity to observe the natural development of a young superhero in the wild. Others wanted to pull him from May Parker’s custody and confine him to a S.H.I.E.L.D. research facility for study.”

Clint swore under his breath. Tony was shocked. Nat just looked down and shook her head. 

Fury went on. “But with S.H.I.E.L.D. trying to rebuild after the Hydra situation, we didn’t have a lot of resources to devote to this problem.”

Tony huffed and rolled his eyes at hearing Peter being referred to as a problem. 

Fury turned to look at Tony. “So we made sure he got on your radar.”

The YouTube videos,” Tony said. He had always wondered who had posted them - now he knew. 

Fury nodded. “We knew you monitored social media for signs of new heroes. We were hoping you and the other Avengers would provide him with some guidance, watch out for him. But the Accords happened and the team broke up.”

Tony groaned. He could guess where this was going. 

Fury fixed the billionaire with a disapproving look. “And then you had the bright idea to recruit a teenager into a fight between the Avengers.”

“Brilliant move, Stark,” Clint remarked sarcastically. Natasha raised an eyebrow at him, but her expression didn’t reveal her thoughts. 

“At least I didn’t recruit a kindergartner!” Tony said defensively. 

Fury said, “No, he was the ripe old age of fourteen when you took him into battle. But… at least you kept an eye on him. You tried to keep him out of serious trouble, for the most part. You provided him with upgraded equipment to keep him safe. S.H.I.E.L.D. monitored the situation and we were satisfied with how things were going. Until it all fell apart.”

Nat frowned and asked, “What does he mean, Tony?” 

“The ferry incident. And then I took his suit. I ended the internship. I thought Peter would stop, but I should have known better.” Tony almost sounded ashamed. “Instead he went after the flying vulture guy - the guy who tried to steal the plane load of Avengers gear. Peter took him down single handedly.” 

“Impressive,” Nat remarked, but Clint looked angry. 

“And he nearly got himself killed in the process,” Fury added. “After that, S.H.I.E.L.D. decided it was too dangerous to leave Parker where he was. We prepared to extract him and place him in a research facility.”

Tony’s stomach twisted. He had come so close to losing the Kid because of his own stupidity in taking the suit. First because Toomes almost killed Peter, then because S.H.I.E.L.D. had nearly whisked the Kid away. 

“But you didn’t move him,” Clint pointed out. “Why not?”

Fury looked at Tony. 

The billionaire nodded. “Because I resumed the internship. I started mentoring him more closely.”

“Exactly,” Fury replied. “We've watched the two of you carefully. Your mentorship has been good for him. It’s been good for you as well. You’ve been less self absorbed and self destructive ever since you got more involved with the boy. You’ve become downright responsible.”

“I wanted Peter to be better than me, but I found out that I needed to be better because of him,” the man admitted. 

Clint gave him a look of understanding. “It’s daunting, isn’t it? To have a kid look up to you like that.” 

“Yeah,” Tony replied quietly. 

The conversation ended abruptly when quinjet started to descend and then landed softly. 

Several minutes later, the four were standing in front of a sprawling brown brick building surrounded by forest. The building looked like something between a school and a prison. 

“Welcome to Camp Legacy,” Fury announced. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to be clear, I don’t consider Richard and Mary Parker (or any of the other parents) to be villains in this story. They were misguided, perhaps. They trusted S.H.I.E.L.D. too much, maybe. But I don’t think they were evil people or bad parents. They just expected their son to save the world some day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter enjoys being at camp, but struggles with hiding the truth from Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts to describe what Camp Legacy is like and some of the kids their. Chronologically, it takes place before Chapter 2, but I needed to folllow Tony’s POV first to lay down the background information about Project Legacy. 
> 
> This story has some complex world-building, so things go kinda slow. We’ll get to the action eventually and then I’ll update the tags.

Peter had been at camp for almost two weeks and found it easy to fall back into the comfort of the familiar routine. 

Mornings were spent in academic work. This year he was focusing on advanced chemistry and physics, as well as improving his German. Lessons were in small groups or one-on-one. All the instructors at Legacy were among the best in their fields. Peter knew it was a privilege to be studying with them and he thoroughly enjoyed the lessons. They were more challenging, and more interesting, than his classes at school. 

The afternoons usually included S.H.I.E.L.D. specific instruction and some physical exercises like martial arts, swimming, or strength training. Later there was recreation time. For the older campers this often included paintball games or racing ATVs around the small island the camp was situated on. These activities allowed the kids to blow off some steam and encouraged a sense of friendly competition. 

Additionally, there was plenty of time for the campers to work on their summer projects. Younger kids had summer projects assigned to them as they explored different fields. But by the time they were teenagers, each camper was expected to have an area of special interest and expertise. The teens’ projects were more self-directed, with some guidance by the camp staff.

Peter’s field was chemistry, particularly advanced polymers. He had his own lab where he worked on the construction of new substances. He loved that. He could spend hours there trying to perfect his creations. This summer, he was working on developing stronger, longer lasting webs. They stared off a deep blue. Over the course of five days, they gradually faded to white and then dissolved. Evidence of his experiments could be seen throughout the camp as Peter had tested them in various locations. 

Camp Legacy was the only summer camp Peter had ever attended. He sometimes wondered if it was so very different from the summer camps that other kids went to. Peter often thought about how his classmates described their summer camps. Sometimes he even let himself believe that Camp Legacy was similar to the more exclusive and affluent academic camps his classmates attended. 

Well, it was similar except for the intense security around the camp. And the instruction in covert operations. And the weapons training. And, of course, the big mock mission that took place towards the end of camp. Peter suspected that his classmates’ camps didn’t include those things. 

The mock mission was a huge event and one of the most exciting parts of the summer. Peter was finally old enough to be one of the three team leaders. He was looking forward to both the challenge and the responsibility of that role. He wanted to prove - to himself and to everyone else - that he was capable of leading his team and completing his mission objectives. 

More than anything else, Peter wanted to make Tony proud. But Peter knew he would never be able to tell his mentor about the mock mission or anything else that happened at camp. That fact tore at his heart. He really wanted Tony to know about the things he accomplished at camp and how hard he worked to improve his skills. Peter often thought how things would be so much easier if he didn’t have to hide this part of his life. 

————-

Peter woke up to the rumbling of his stomach. He looked at the clock and sighed. _ 2:30 am. _ Even that was routine. No matter where he was - home, the compound, camp - his body awoke around this time and demanded to be fed. It was his damn super metabolism. Still, it was better than waking from another nightmare Peter pushed himself out of bed, picked up his notebook, and headed down the hall. 

Even though it was the middle of the night, Peter was a little surprised to find the mess hall empty. Nearly all the kids at Camp Legacy struggled with frequent insomnia and it wasn’t unusual to find someone else up and about at any given time. 

Peter made some toast with peanut butter and grabbed an orange. Settling in at one of the tables, he opened his notebook and sketched out an idea for the changes he wanted to make to his web shooters. 

After a while, Peter heard quiet footsteps across the room and looked up. 

“Hey, Jackson,” Peter greeted the younger boy with a smile. Daniel Jackson was twelve years old and had been part of Project Legacy since he was eight. 

“Hi, Parker,” the boy replied with a sniffle. He looked disheveled and his face was red, like he had been crying. 

“Do you want a snack?” Peter asked gently. 

Jackson shook his head. “I just need some milk. Do you want some?” 

“Sure. Thanks,” Peter replied, realizing he had forgotten to get himself something to drink. 

The boy nodded and filled two glasses of milk from the dispenser. He quietly walked over to Peter’s table and set down them down. After a moment, he sat down at the table a little nervously. 

Peter gave him a small smile. He didn’t mind the company and the younger boy was obviously upset. They sat in silence for a while and Peter wondered if he should ask Jackson what his nightmare had been about. He didn’t need to ask whether Jackson had a nightmare. That much went without saying. All the kids at camp had nightmares. 

“What are you working on?” Jackson asked, glancing at Peter’s notebook and interrupting his thoughts. 

The teen smiled conspiratorially. “Well, I ought to be working on my German translations. But instead, I’m designing an update to my web shooters.”

Jackson’s eyes lit up a little at that. “What kind of update?” He angled his head to get a better view of the notes. 

Peter pushed the notebook closer to the boy. He had nothing to hide here. “Well, you know how my project this summer is that I’m working on a new type of web?” 

Jackson nodded, “The blue webs. They last longer than the white ones.” He gestured to the ceiling of the mess hall, which was decorated with webs in various shades of blue. 

“That’s right,” Peter said. “They’re the five-day webs.”

“Why would you need to web up bad guys for five days?” Jackson asked. His face wasn’t so red anymore and he seemed calmer than when he had first arrived. 

Peter chuckled. “I don’t. These webs are for adding stability to damaged structures or even creating small temporary structures. I’m also exploring a medical use for them as bandages.”

Jackson considered that. If he found it strange to be talking about the uses for webs with Spider-Man in the middle of the night, he didn’t show it. After all, this was just part of being at Camp Legacy. 

“Anyway,” Peter went on, “the blue webs are a little thicker and after a while they clog up the nozzles on my web shooters. So I need to make some changes.”

Jackson thought about this. “Can’t you just make the hole in the nozzle bigger?”

Peter shook his head. “No, then the webs would be too thick. I need to make changes to the propelling mechanism.”

Jackson studied the schematic diagram Peter had sketched out. Then he looked at one of the web shooters Peter was wearing. Peter turned his wrist slightly to give the boy a better view. Then he looked at the sketch again. 

“Maybe you could adjust the wiring here and here?” Jackson suggested tentatively, pointing out a particular section of Peter’s diagram. 

“That’s what I was thinking,” Peter said with a smile. “Maybe tomorrow you could come to my lab and help me out.”

The boy’s eyes lit up. “Sure!” he answered enthusiastically. Then, in a quieter voice he asked, “Is it hard to hide the fact that you’re Spider-Man from people?” 

“Sometimes,” Peter replied thoughtfully. “I mean a few people know, like my aunt and my best friend, and of course the Avengers, so that’s good. They all help me. But I have to hide it from everyone else though. It’s just safer that way.”

“I hate having to hide stuff from the people around me,” Jackson said with a frown. 

It wasn’t hard to guess what the boy meant. “Like being here at camp?” Peter prompted. 

“Yeah. I don’t like lying to my friends. It’s always hard when I go back to school and everyone talks about their summer camps. I’m never sure what to say. I wish I could tell them about all the cool stuff we do, but I know I can’t.” Jackson admitted. 

“I know,” Peter agreed sadly, “I feel the same way.” 

Another set a footsteps interrupted their conversation. Turning around, Peter watched as Jason Wang grabbed two apples from the fruit bowl and then sauntered over to their table. 

“Hey guys. What’s going on?” Wang sat down and handed Peter one of the apples. Wang was seventeen, the oldest of the Legacy kids this year. He had been in the program since he was seven. Although Peter was two years younger than Wang, they had actually started in Legscy at the same time. As a result, they had become good friends. 

“Jackson was just helping me with some ideas for my web shooters,” Peter said with a wink to the preteen. The boy grinned in response. 

“Then we started talking about how we have to lie about camp and how that sucks,” Jackson said. 

“Yeah, I had to lie to my grandmother again just before I left. I always hate that.” Like Peter and many of the other kids, Wang was being raised by an aunt and uncle. They knew the truth about Legacy, but any other relatives were kept unaware. 

Peter nodded, understanding. “Well, I don’t have a grandmother, but this year I had to lie to Iron Man. _ That _ was really hard.”

Jackson’s eyes went wide. “You lied to an Avenger? To _ Iron Man _?” 

Wang gave a low whistle. “Dude, that’s some serious shit.”

“I know,” Peter lamented. “It kills me to have to lie to him about this.”

Wang thought a minute, “I thought the Avengers are S.H.I.E.L.D. Don’t they know about Project Legacy?”

“The Avengers are part of S.H.I.E.L.D., but they aren’t all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.” Peter tried to explain. “Mr. Stark doesn’t know about Legacy. I’ve asked for permission to tell him and I’ve always been denied. But I think Agent Barton and Agent Romanov might know.”

“I would love to meet Hawkeye and Black Widow,” Jackson remarked sleepily, with awe in his voice. 

Wang chuckled. “You and every other kid here.” It was no secret that the two super spies were highly revered among the Legacy kids, possibly more than the rest of the Avengers. 

Just then, Jackson tried to suppress a huge yawn and failed miserably. 

“You should go back to bed, Jackson,” Wang told the boy. Despite his gentle tone, it was more an order than a suggestion. 

There was a loose hierarchy among the Legacy kids and the teenagers weren’t shy about bossing the younger ones around when they needed to. 

The two teens waited as Jackson told them goodnight, then headed back to the dorm rooms. 

“Are you gonna write an email to Iron Man?” Wang asked Peter once they were alone. In a couple of days they would have a chance to send emails to their families and friends. 

“Yeah. He’ll have a fit if I don’t,” Peter lamented. “I don’t know what I’m gonna say. I don’t think I can keep lying to him.”

“You know the consequences of telling someone about Legacy,” Wang cautioned. 

All the kids knew the consequences. They still remembered what happened two years ago when Martha Anderson unthinkingly blabbed to some friends about activities at camp. Fortunately her friends didn’t believe her wild stories. But Anderson had been moved across the country and now lived with a S.H.I.E.L.D. foster family. 

“What if I don’t tell Mr. Stark, but I get someone else to tell him?” Peter mused. 

“Be careful, Parker. That’s a dangerous game,” Wang warned him. “The disciplinary committee could go either way with that.”

“Yeah,” Peter agreed. Even so, he thought it just might be worth the gamble. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three Avengers meet the Assets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got longer than is usual for me, but I didn’t want to split it up. I hope people enjoy it!

Tony stared at the ugly, sprawling brown building for a moment, then looked around. He could see the forest was a mixed type, with both broadleaf trees and conifers. Turning, he saw a rocky beach and a body of water that seemed to go on for miles. In the distance, he could make out a large land mass. Tony guessed that they were on an island, but he couldn’t figure out where. The air smelled of pine and maple trees and of damp earth, without any hint of sea water. Despite the bright sunlight and the fact that it was summer, the breeze coming off the water was cool. 

“Where are we?” Tony asked Fury in a demanding tone. 

“We’re on one of the small uncharted islands in the Great Lakes.” Fury answered evenly. “The Project Legacy facility is the only thing on the island.”

“Where are the kids?” Clint asked. 

Fury checked his watch. “If they’re on schedule, the assets are just finishing weapons training and heading to lunch. You will have a security briefing before you see them.” 

The last statement sounded like an order, not an offer. Nat and Clint both nodded. Tony was about to protest, more out of habit than any other reason, until he realized that he actually did want a security briefing. 

“What do you mean by weapons training?” Tony asked. 

Fury just smirked at him. The director led the group through a security checkpoint on their way to the building and another at the entrance. Once inside, Fury took them up a set of stairs and through several corridors until they reached the security center of the facility. 

The room was full of monitors, closely watched by armed personnel. But once the three Avengers entered the room, it seemed like all eyes were on them. The attention did not escape Fury’s notice. 

“Alright, listen up!” the director addressed the S.H.I.E.L.D. staff. “As you all know, the Avengers have a special interest in one of our assets. Therefore, our _ guests _ will be here for a few days. Do not let them distract you from your duties. Remember that this is our high-security week.” 

Fury made a gesture and suddenly a large screen in front of them was filled with a live feed of the group of children. They were just entering the mess hall and lining up for their food. The youngest few appeared to be six or seven years old. The oldest children were teenagers. 

The kids were all dressed in black cargo shorts and solid tee shirts in a variety of bold colors: green, blue, red, gold, and purple. The shirts had the shield insignia printed on the front and each kid’s last name printed across the back. Tony tried to locate Peter, but couldn’t find him from the current camera angle. 

“Do the colors of their shirts mean anything?” Tony asked. 

Fury seemed amused by the question. “Like what?”

“I don’t know. Like their field of study or something? One color for sciences, one for engineering, one for languages, something like that?” Tony clarified his thought. 

The director laughed. “This isn’t Star Trek, Stark!” 

Tony was embarrassed to realize that Star Trek was exactly what he had been thinking of. He spent _way too much_ time watching movies with the Kid. 

Maria Hill walked over and explained, “We used to have the assets in all black shirts, patterned after the adult uniforms. But the child psychologist we have on staff thought that it was too depressing to dress them in all black. So now they all have a variety of shirts in bright colors. They get to choose their colors. It’s supposed to be healthier for them.” The look on Nick Fury’s face showed he didn’t really believe that. 

“What did you mean by high- security week?” Clint asked. 

“We have increased security this week because we have all the assets here. Different age groups are at camp for different weeks. This is the one week of the summer that we have all twenty-six of them on site at once.” Fury replied. 

“So basically you put all your eggs in one basket,” Tony said flippantly. 

Fury chuckled. “That’s one way of putting it.”

“What are your security measures?” Nat asked. 

Hill listed off some of the security features of the faculty: heavy surveillance, protective barriers, high tech sensors and alarms, as well as the highly trained guards. She pointed to various monitor stations as she talked about them. 

Clint gestured to the monitors and said, “Everything you mentioned is great for when the kids are here. Do you have any protection for them when they’re not here?” the super spy asked. 

“The secrecy of the project is their greatest protection. Their identities are closely guarded.” Fury replied. He fixed Nat with a look and pointed out, “Even when you dumped S.H.I.E.L.D.’s and Hydra’s secrets on the internet, you held back the information about Project Legacy.” 

“I didn’t dump all of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secrets,” Nat admitted. “I held back things at the highest levels. Things that could have incited chaos or hurt innocent civilians. I held back the files on Project Legacy because these are just kids. I couldn’t put a target on their backs.” 

“So you just depend on secrecy to keep them safe out there? That doesn’t seem like enough,” Clint pointed out. 

“All Legacy assets are equipped with a tracking device that allows us to monitor their location and life signs at all times,” Fury informed them. 

Tony hadn’t been fully listening, but that grabbed his attention. “What kind of tracking device? Where is it? A watch? Something in their clothes?” He demanded to know. 

“Intramuscular implants,” Fury replied. “In most cases, in the upper arm. But some of our teens rebelled a couple years back and cut their own arms open to remove them, so they have implants inserted deep in the thigh muscle. That includes Parker.” 

The billionaire was shocked. He had experience with trying to keep a tracker on Peter and the Kid constantly removing it. But implanting the boy with a tracking device was a line even Tony wasn’t willing to cross. Now he was starting to understand why Peter fought against having the tracker in his suit. 

“How is it FRIDAY never told me that the Kid was implanted with a tracker?” Tony asked irritability. He might hate the idea, but there were times it would have been helpful to know. 

Fury kept his unflappable calm as he responded, “Karen made sure of that. When the two AI’s interfaced, Karen added something to FRIDAY’s code so she couldn’t detect it.”

“Karen did what? I created Karen!” Tony yelled angrily. 

“And we modified her. Karen works for us,” Fury told him evenly. 

“She’s supposed to work for Peter!” Tony was livid at the betrayal. 

“She does. By working for us,” Hill replied in a patronizing tone. 

Before Tony could protest any further, the director asked “Are you ready to see the assets?”

——————

Peter was listening to Jackson ramble on about his engineering lesson while they cleaned up the lunch table. Peter had just tossed a handful of used napkins into the trash when he abruptly froze in place and concentrated on his senses. He could just barely make out the familiar voices and the familiar heartbeats that matched them. 

“Parker, is everything okay?” Jackson asked, alarmed by the teen’s unusual stillness. 

Peter blinked, then looked down at the younger boy and quietly said, “Yeah, Jackson. Everything’s fine. Remember when you said you wanted to meet Hawkeye and Black Widow?”

Jackson’s eyes lit up. “Yeah. What about it?”

“You’re about to get the chance,” Peter said, plastering a fake smile on his face. 

Sure enough, a few minutes later several S.H.I.E.L.D. guards appeared in the mess hall and called for the assets to come to attention. 

The kids immediately arranged themselves into four neat rows. The teens guided the youngest ones into their positions in the front, then took up their own places in the back of the group. 

A collective gasp came from the group as Nick Fury and Maria Hill stormed into the mess hall, followed by Tony Stark, Clint Barton, and Natasha Romanov. Squeals of excitement and whispers of disbelief could be heard from some of the kids. 

Fury and Hill studied the lines of kids critically while the Avengers looked around curiously. Peter saw that Tony gazed up at the blue webs that were spread across the ceiling. 

“Everyone calm down and listen up,” Fury ordered in a no-nonsense tone. The children quieted immediately. 

Fury continued, “As you can see, we have special visitors here to evaluate the camp and examine your training.” Nat just smirked while Clint and Tony looked at other with puzzled expressions. _ That certainly was not why they were there. _

“You will be on your best behavior with our guests,” Fury lectured. “You will be respectful. You will answer any questions they have.” 

The director paused while his words sank in. Several of the kids nodded their acknowledgment of these commands. Others just stared wide-eyed at the Avengers. 

Fury gave a barely perceptible smile and said, “Have at it.” With that, Fury turned and left the mess hall. Hill stepped to the side of the room. 

Then it was like all hell broke loose. Twenty-four children started shouting and practically stampeded to get to the heroes. They swarmed around Clint and Nat, bombarding them with questions. Tony, on the other hand, was basically pushed aside by the mob of small, but determined, bodies who were eager to get to the super spies. 

Amidst the chaos, Wang grabbed Peter’s arm and pulled him towards the tables, away from the crowd. “Are they here because of you?” he asked in a low voice. 

“Yeah,” Peter admitted reluctantly as he perched on the tabletop. 

“Parker, I told you to be careful! You brought three Avengers here. The kids might love that but you gotta know the disciplinary committee won’t,” Wang told him harshly. Then he sat next to Peter on the tabletop. 

“I know. I didn’t think they would actually come here,” Peter told his friend miserably. 

Maria Hill approached the two boys. She gave Peter a stern look. “Disciplinary committee tomorrow at nine am, Parker.” 

Peter nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Thank you.” 

She turned and walked away leaving the boys alone. 

“Shit,” Peter whispered under his breath. Wang frowned sympathetically. 

They watched the swarm of kids and the Avengers. Peter couldn’t help but feel a bit amused by the confusion on his mentor’s face. The billionaire looked on in amazement while Clint and Nat got all the kids’ attention and Tony himself was ignored. 

Wherever the Avengers went, Iron Man would receive the most attention. He was always the most popular one, with adults and children alike. He was always the most sought after for photos and autographs, or even a simple handshake or a shout out. With or without the suit, Tony Stark commanded attention everywhere he went, no matter who else was in the room. 

Except for here, apparently. And although Tony claimed to dislike all the attention, Peter knew that the man actually thrived on it. Tony was disappointed and trying to hide it. 

Turning his gaze from his teammates and their young fans, Tony looked around. The only two kids who weren’t part of the chaos surrounding the super spies were Peter and another teen who seemed a couple of years older. The two boys were sitting on a table top, their feet resting on the chairs as they whispered to each other. 

Tony walked over to them and pulled along another chair, then sat himself down. “Hey Kid,” he greeted his protégé with more calm than he felt. 

Peter didn’t meet his eyes and replied with a soft “Hi.”

Tony noticed that the other boy was staring at him in awe. He smirked. Finally, somebody appreciated his presence. “Hi, I’m Tony,” he said nonchalantly. 

The teen blinked, then schooled his expression. He extended his hand. “I’m Jason Wang. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Agent Stark.”

Tony shook his hand, but frowned. “Agent Stark?” he repeated. No one had ever called him that. 

Peter couldn’t help the small humorless laugh that came out of him. “Get used to it. All the adults here are ‘Agent’. Except for Director Fury.” 

Tony shook his head. He looked back at all the kids who were still surrounding Clint and Nat. “Am I missing something here?”

Peter chuckled. “Don’t worry, they’re all Iron Man fans. But those two are everything these kids want to be when they grow up. They’re like very Legacy kid’s career goals.”

Wang agreed, “Yeah, but later they’ll be falling all over each other trying to get to you, sir.” 

Peter nodded. “Meeting you three will be the highlight of their summer. Too bad they won’t be able to tell anyone when they go home.”

Tony noticed that Peter wore his web shooters openly, with no effort to hide them under long sleeves. He looked up again at the many webs that hung from the mess hall ceiling. “They do know that Spider-Man is in their midst, right? Aren’t they Spider-Man fans?”

Peter smirked. “They all know. But all of them except the youngest kids and the newest kids have known me for years. I’m still just Parker as far as they’re concerned.” 

Wang clapped a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “We’re all Spider-Man fans. We’re just used to being around him.”

Peter ducked his head and smiled slightly. He knew there was more Tony wanted to say, but not with the other boy there. 

Wang could sense the tension between the two superheroes. He pushed himself off the table and stepped away. Turning back, Wang looked at Peter. “What’s your choice for tomorrow morning?”

Peter thought a moment, then said “ATVs.”

Wang gave a small smile and a nod. “Good choice. I’ll set it up.” Wang moved away quickly and joined the other kids. 

Tony studied his protégé for a moment. “This is a huge thing to have hidden from me, Peter,” Tony said seriously, his voice heavy with disappointment. 

The boy frowned, “I know, sir. I’m sorry.”

Tony sighed. “When we met and you told me nobody knew you were Spider-Man… what you really meant was no one knew except S.H.I.E.L.D. and all these kids?”

Peter looked at his hands, twisted them nervously. “Yeah,” he said quietly. 

“And when you told Happy you had never been on a plane before, that was a lie too?”

“Yeah.But, I’d only been on S.H.I.E.L.D. planes before,” Peter explained. 

“Fury mentioned something about weapons training. Does that include firearms?” 

Peter nodded reluctantly, “Yes, sir.”

“You told me you hate guns,” Tony said pointedly. 

“I do hate guns. That doesn’t mean I don’t know how to shoot them.” The boy shook his head. “Doesn’t really matter. The one time it counted, I froze. I didn’t follow my training.” Tony knew Peter meant the night his uncle was killed. 

The man stared at the boy for a moment, considering everything. “I understand why you felt that you couldn’t tell me about all this. But it’s a lot of new information for me to take in. So much that I have to wonder… what else are you hiding? How much of the Kid sitting in front of me is the Kid thought I knew?”

Peter’s heart sank. He gazed at the floor for a moment, then finally looked Tony in the eye. “I’m still me, sir. I’ve been me my whole life,” he said softly. 

Tony nodded, somehow reassured by that answer. “Okay,” he replied. “I have just one more thing to ask you.”

Peter watched his mentor nervously. 

Pointing to the ceiling, Tony asked. “Why are all those webs blue?”

Peter smiled widely and Tony realized how much he had missed that while the Kid has been away. 

“Just wait until you see my lab!” Peter exclaimed excitedly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all the comments and kudos! I know this story has been a slow start, so it helps to know if readers are sticking with it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony learns more about what Peter’s been doing at camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the longer than usual time between updates. It’s terrible when real life interferes with writing.

Peter’s lab was small by Tony’s standards, but was well equipped and efficiently organized. There were a couple of large work tables with stools in the center of the room. The tables were covered with beakers and Peter’s handwritten notes. Along one of the walls, a row of cabinets held plenty of equipment and supplies. 

Another wall was almost covered by a couple of large white boards. Everything on them was written upside down. Peter obviously preferred to work while hanging from the ceiling, which was no real surprise. Tony tilted his head as he tried to get a sense of them. Peter chuckled at that and pressed a corner of each board, causing them to rotate 180 degrees. 

The white board on the right had a familiar formula written across the top. Tony immediately recognized the latest version of Peter’s web fluid. Under that was a similar formula, but with significant changes. There were notes scrawled underneath. The white board on the left had a series of tables and line graphs with notations that Tony couldn’t decipher. 

By far the most interesting thing in the room was the mess of webs that covered the ceiling. They draped from one side of the room to the other and hung down an empty wall. They were in various shades of blue ranging from the dark midnight blue through hues of sapphire, cobalt, and cornflower to a pale sky blue. The lightest ones were barely tinted and looked almost white. 

“So these are all blue because…?” Tony prompted. 

Peter grinned at his mentor. He pointed out the darkest web and said, “I shot this web just before lunch.” The teen then moved along to wall to the lightest one and said, “And I shot this web five days ago.”

“Five days!” Tony was astounded. He didn’t think it was possible for webs to last that long. 

“Yeah. The color gradually fades over five days, but the tensile strength doesn’t decrease until they turn white. Then they dissolve just like the regular webs do,” Peter explained proudly. 

“That’s amazing,” Tony was impressed. “Explain to me how you worked that out.”

Peter started pointing out the formulas on the white board. He showed Tony the changes he had made to the basic web fluid formula and gave details about each one. Tony asked a lot of questions and Peter gave him detailed answers. 

“This is incredible work, Pete.” Tony said proudly, studying the white board and clapping his protégé on the shoulder. “What do you see as the practical applications?”

“Temporary construction materials to reinforce the integrity of damaged buildings. Or even to create temporary structures. I also want to explore medical uses, like bandages,” Peter said excitedly. 

Tony thought those sounded like great ideas. “How much testing have you done?”

“Not much yet,” Peter admitted. “I only got the formula working right last week. I’m still gathering data at this point.” He pointed to the charts and graphs on the second white board a as d explained some of the data. 

Peter went on. “I’ve made hammocks for some of the kids. I created a climbing structure in the training gym and a slackline course in the woods. The kids love the blue webs.” Peter beamed. He started telling Tony stories about the other campers playing on the webs. 

As the boy rambled, Tony listened carefully - not so much to Peter’s words, but to his liveliness and enthusiasm. His whole face lit up when he talked about the other kids. Tony suddenly understood that here, at the camp, Peter had the freedom to fully use all his talents around other children. The man hated just about everything he had learned about Project Legacy. And yet, he was starting to see why Peter enjoyed it. 

“They’re not for the bad guys though,” Peter said suddenly, as if trying to reassure his mentor. 

Tony was startled by the statement. “Why not?” he asked curiously. He knew there had been a few times when the police had been slow to respond to a call. In some of those cases, Peter’s regular webs had dissolved before the criminals could be apprehended. 

“I can’t web someone up for five days! What if no one finds them? They could starve to death or die of thirst!” Peter was horrified by the very idea. 

Tony gave the boy a sympathetic look. “Peter, I know that you believe all lives are valuable - including the bad guys. That’s one of the things I really admire about you, even if I don’t agree,” Tony said sincerely. “But, Kid, if it’s a matter of saving your life or the lives of the team or of innocent civilians, use the blue webs if you need to.  _ Please. _ ” 

Peter looked troubled and didn’t say anything at first. Then he reluctantly said, “Okay.” His voice was just above a whisper. 

Tony held the Kid’s gaze for a moment, to make sure the message sunk in. After Peter nodded, Tony looked back to the webs on the ceiling and then at the white boards. 

“These really are amazing, Pete. I’m very impressed.”

Peter’s bright smile returned. Tony’s praise meant a lot to him. “I can’t believe you’re here to see it. I didn’t think you would actually come here. I mean, I can’t even imagine what you must have said to Director Fury to get him to bring you here.” 

Tony frowned. “I didn’t say anything to him.”

Peter looked shocked. “What do you mean?”

“After your email, Clint and Nat told me about Legacy and about your parents. God, Peter, I didn’t even know your folks had been S.H.I.E.L.D.. I was upset, livid to find out about all this. I told Nat to call Fury and tell him I wanted answers. But I never talked to the man until we were on the jet coming here.” Tony explained carefully. 

Peter bit his lip and had a look of concentration while he thought this over. “Something’s not right,” he muttered. 

“What’s wrong, Pete?” Tony asked worriedly. 

Peter shook his head, “It doesn’t add up. Director Fury would never have brought you here without a fight.” 

Tony was about to ask what the Kid meant when another young voice came from the doorway. 

“Hey, Parker, I was wondering if…” Jackson’s voice trailed off and his eyes went wide as he caught sight of Tony. 

“I’m sorry, Agent Stark! I didn’t know you were in here,” the young boy said nervously while he looked from Tony to Peter and back. Tony rolled his eyes at the title. 

Peter recovered from his troubled state and gave a small laugh. “Come on in. It’s alright.” Peter turned to his mentor. “This is Jackson. He helps me out sometimes.” 

The billionaire smiled at the youngster. “Hi, I’m Tony,” he said with his usual charm. 

Jackson was awestruck and couldn’t do more than nod. Peter seemed amused, but sympathetic. 

Tony wasn’t quite sure what to do. Other than Peter, he didn’t usually make conversation with kids. After a moment, he asked awkwardly, “So your parents were S.H.I.E.L.D. too?”

Jackson suddenly found his voice. “Yeah. Well, just my dad. I’m not a double-Legacy like Parker. My dad was killed when I was six. A Hydra agent shot him.”

“And you came to Project Legacy after that?” Tony asked gently. 

Jackson shook his head. “No, I didn’t join Legacy until after my mom died when I was eight. She had cancer.”

Tony looked at Peter questioningly. 

Peter sighed. “ _ Both _ of your parents have to be dead for you to be in Legacy,” he said quietly. “Every kid here is an orphan.”

Tony remembered how Fury had explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. has legal guardianship over all the Legacy children. He had been so focused on Peter, that he hadn’t realized what that implied for all the other children. 

Tony changed the subject to something less awkward. “So you help Peter out? You like science then?”

Jackson grinned. “Yes, sir. But I can’t decide what I like best: biology, chemistry or physics. I also like engineering. And cryptology. I haven’t picked my field yet.” 

The man nodded. “Those are all good fields. You’re young though. You have a lot of time to decide.”

Peter frowned. “Actually he doesn’t. He’ll be thirteen next year.” 

“So what? At thirteen he’s supposed to know what he wants to do with his life?” Tony scoffed. 

“Yeah. Pretty much.” Peter replied flatly. Jackson nodded. Tony just looked at both boys in disbelief. 

Peter decided another change of topic was in order. “So, Jackson,” he started cheerfully, “did you get to meet Hawkeye and Black Widow like you hoped?”

Jackson’s wide smile almost split in face in two. “Yes! And they are so cool!” The boy gushed. 

“They are,” Peter agreed with a laugh. Tony huffed and looked annoyed, which just made Peter laugh harder. 

“They’re going to give a martial arts demonstration in about an hour. Are you gonna come watch?” Jackson asked enthusiastically. 

Peter glanced at the clock. “No. I have a mission prep meeting then.” 

“Mission? What mission?” Tony asked in alarm. 

But Tony’s question was drowned out as Jackson nearly squealed. “The mission! Have you picked the teams yet?” 

Peter chuckled at his friend, sharing his sense of excitement. 

Tony asked more firmly, “What mission?”

Peter waved a hand at Jackson, gesturing for him to go ahead. 

The younger boy jumped into an explanation. “Okay, so every year camp ends with a mock mission. It’s a training mission, like the ones we’ll get to do when we’re grown up. Anyway, there’s a Mission Commander - that’s Wang, because he’s the oldest. Then the next three in age are the Team Leaders - that’s Miller, Parker, and Hayes. They get to pick their teams and there’s four kids per team, that includes the leader. The scenario is different each year, but it always involves each team being sent to a different location with an assignment. Usually it’s something they have to find. Then the teams all have to make it back to Mission Command to put all the pieces together and solve the mission objective.” 

As Tony listened, he idly wondered if  _ all _ the Legacy kids were able to ramble on without taking a single breath. If so, was that a natural trait, or something they were trained to do?

“What’s this year’s scenario?” Tony asked, once the young boy had run out of breath. 

Peter answered, as he knew more details about the mission. “This year each team will infiltrate a different Hydra base…”

“What! They’re sending you to Hydra bases?” Tony interrupted, outraged. 

“Not real Hydra bases,” Peter reassured him with a smirk. “It’s a  _ mock mission. _ They will actually be S.H.I.E.L.D. locations with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents pretending to be Hydra agents.”

Tony nodded, as if he thought that made perfect sense. “Go on.”

Peter continued, “Each team will retrieve sensitive information. One will get encrypted information about a new Hydra weapon. Another team will find the encryption code. The third will retrieve a map of where the weapon is located. Then the three teams will make their way back to mission command and use all the information to figure out what the weapon is and where it’s being hidden.” Jackson was practically bouncing while Peter described the mission exuberantly. 

Tony hated the whole thing. He hated the very idea of the mock missions and whatever they were training these kids for. It was insidious to treat deadly missions like a children’s game. He hated how excited and eager both Peter and Jackson seemed to be. He guessed the other kids were as well. 

“Are you doing the mission as Spider-Man?” Tony asked his protégé. 

Peter shook his head. “I don’t bring the suit here,” he reminded the man. 

“Have you picked your team yet?” Jackson asked Peter hopefully. 

Peter smiled at his young friend. “We’re finalizing the teams today. Don’t worry, Jackson. You’re twelve, so you’re guaranteed to be on one of the teams.”

“Whose team am I on? Am I on yours?” Jackson persisted. 

Peter sighed. “Teams will be announced in a couple of days. You can wait until then.”

“Oh, come on, please. You can just tell me,” Jackson practically begged. 

“Don’t you think I’m in enough trouble already? I don't need another reason for the disciplinary committee to come down on me.” Peter spoke in an angry, raised voice. 

Jackson glanced at Tony quickly, then looked at the floor. “Sorry, Parker,” he said contritely. 

Peter shook his head. “It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have shouted at you. I’m just stressed about the hearing tomorrow.”

Jackson nodded and was about to say something else, but Peter didn’t give him a chance. 

“You should get going. You don’t want to miss Hawkeye and Black Widow’s demonstration,” Peter said more kindly. “And I need to get to the mission meeting.”

The younger boy grinned and quickly said his goodbyes before running out of the lab. 

Peter turned to Tony. “Are you going to watch Agents Barton and Romanov too?” 

“No, I see enough of them,” Tony replied. “I’d like to stay here and study your formula some more, if you don’t mind.”

The teen smiled at the irony of Tony Stark asking permission to be in Peter’s lab. “Sure. Just be careful. I haven’t developed a dissolvant for the blue webs yet,” he warned. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” the man replied dryly. 

Peter hesitated, as if he wanted to say something else, but then changed his mind. He picked up a notebook and hurried off to his meeting. 

Once he was alone, Tony sat down heavily on one of the stools. He didn’t know what he had really expected to find at Camp Legacy, but everything here seemed to take him by surprise. From what he had seen so far, the kids were happy and thoroughly enjoyed being at camp. But Tony was still angry about what he had learned in their security briefing. And the mock mission troubled him deeply, as did Peter’s comments about Nick Fury. 

Tony couldn’t shake the feeling that there was much more going on here than meets the eye. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter faces the disciplinary committee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and kudos! They mean a lot to me.

The early morning breeze came off the Great Lakes with a fresh, clean smell that mixed with the scent of the woods. Camp Legacy was far enough north that even at the height of summer, the mornings had a chill. Most of the campers were used to it. The only ones to shiver or complain were the very youngest and those who usually lived in the warmest climates. The others had all learned to be comfortable in their S.H.I.E.L.D. Issued hoodies and shorts. 

All of the kids were gathered around. Even those who were still too young or too small to race the ATVs were there to watch and cheer. Wang had the racers carefully arranged into heats, so everyone would get their turn. 

There were no adults around. None of the S.H.I.E.L.D. staff would dare to interfere with the morning’s activities. However, there was no doubt that a close watch was being kept through the security feeds. Still, there was an illusion of freedom that they all clung too. The kids’ excitement and sense of comradery were nearly electric. 

Peter loved racing the ATVs. For one thing, he craved the sensation of going fast, whether it was on these four-wheelers or swinging through the city on his webs or the occasional flights he took with Iron Man. But the thing he liked the best was that this was one activity where his spider powers didn’t give him a strong advantage. He still benefited from the enhanced reflexes, of course. But unlike paintball or the obstacle course, Peter’s superhuman strength, speed, and agility didn’t matter. How he did in the races depended on his own skill, developed over the years of practice. He loved the challenge of that. 

Racing around the small island, Peter concentrated on controlling the vehicle and knowing the positions of the other kids. His mind was able to free itself of thoughts about his project, his studies, and most importantly, the hearing he would face later that morning. 

—————————

“What are they doing?” Clint asked. The three Avengers and most of the camp staff were gathered in the security center. They watched the campers on the surveillance monitors. 

“The assets have a tradition,” Maria Hill explained. “Whenever one of them has been called before the disciplinary committee, they all engage in some sort of physical activity early in the morning. It’s a show of support.” 

“It’s the celebration before the atonement,” Nick Fury said philosophically. “Like Mardi Gras before Lent. Like Rosh Hashanah before Yom Kippur.”

“So you just let them do whatever they want?” Nat asked with a wince as they saw that three of the racers just narrowly avoided a collision. 

“It’s their way of dealing with what’s about to happen. We keep out of it.” Fury said calmly. 

“It looks dangerous,” Clint said as one of the teens almost lost control of the vehicle. 

Hill nodded. “Yeah, but it’s not more dangerous than the work we’re training them for.” 

Tony was unusually quiet, his eyes glued to the screen as he watched his young protégé race around. When he had first heard that Peter had to go before the disciplinary committee, it hadn’t sounded like a big deal to him. As a kid at boarding school, Tony had faced discipline many times. The punishments were usually unpleasant, but not terrible: extra chores or a loss of privileges for a while. Tony had assumed Peter would receive something similar. But now he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that this was much more serious. 

———————-

All too soon the kids had regrouped in the corridor outside the hearing room. They had separated for just as long as it took for everyone to get cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes. Then they gathered around Peter, wishing him luck and offering encouragement. 

At precisely nine o’clock the door opened and an agent summoned Peter into the hearing room. Wang gave Peter one last concerned smile and then ushered the rest of the kids to the mess hall. They would watch a live feed of the proceedings from there. 

Tony looked around from his seat in the back of the room, next to Nat and Clint. It was a typical hearing room. A long table and five large leather chairs were set up on a raised section of the floor, looking like a tall, imposing structure. There was a small table with two plain wooden chairs facing the long one. The rest of the room was arranged with seating for spectators. Nick Fury and Maria Hill sat in the first row of spectators. Many of the other seats were filled with agents, some Tony knew and others he didn’t. 

Five S.H.I.E.L.D. agents marched in and took their places at were at the long table. Tony didn’t recognize any of them. When Peter was called in, he barely looked around before taking his seat alone at the smaller table. 

“We’re here to determine the appropriate disciplinary action for Legacy Asset Parker,” said the head of the disciplinary committee. “Who is acting as the advocate for this asset?”

“I am,” Maria Hill said as she stepped forward and took the empty chair at Peter’s table. Tony was surprised by this. 

“All right, let's begin.” The man turned his attention to the teen. “Asset Parker, you are here because you sent an email that led to Tony Stark learning about the existence of Project Legacy. This was a clear violation of the secrecy rules and of S.H.I.E.L.D. clearance.”

Peter scowled at the tabletop and didn’t answer. He always hated the use of the title _ Asset. _ Usually the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents just called the kids by their last names. The title was only used in formal occasions such as initiation, graduation, and hearings like this. 

The committee head continued, “Agent Hill, do you have anything to say as his advocate?”

“Yes,” Hill cleared her throat and then started. “Technically, Asset Parker didn’t violate the secrecy rules. I’ve looked at the email in question and Parker never mentioned anything that might give away the camp’s true purpose.”

“The presence of three Avengers here suggests otherwise,” a member of the committee said firmly. 

“Parker did talk about Camp Legacy, but it was consistent with the cover story that he was attending an academic summer camp,” Hill pointed out. “Parker did not reveal any classified information. That was done by Agents Barton and Romanov.”

“Because Parker included comments about Legacy that were addressed to Agent Barton.” Another committee member pointed out. 

“Those comments did not reveal the true nature of Legacy.” Hill argued. “In any case, Agent Barton has clearance and prior knowledge about Project Legacy. The same for Agent Romanov.”

“Asset Parker,” another committee member addressed the boy, “When you wrote the email, was it your intention for Agent Barton to reveal the truth about Legacy to Tony Stark?”

Peter looked down and quietly said, “Yes, sir.”

“Why did you do it?” The man asked, his voice raised. 

“I just couldn’t lie to him about it anymore.” Peter admitted sadly. “I couldn’t do it. It felt like I was lying to my parents.”

The committee head looked at him sternly. “Asset Parker, do I need to remind you that you don’t have parents?”

Tony felt his blood start to boil. It was a cruel, unnecessary question. 

Peter bit his tongue to hold back a snarky response. Then, looking at the committee, he replied “No, sir, you don’t need to remind me. I’m fully aware of that. I just meant that lying to Mr. Stark… I mean Agent Stark… felt really wrong. He’s done so much for me, both as Spider-Man and just as myself. He helps take care of me. It felt like… it felt the same as lying to my Aunt.”

“You do understand that May Parker is your assigned custodian, not Tony Stark,” a female agent on the committee asked harshly. 

“I know that,” Peter nodded. “It just feels like he is.” Peter’s face was flushed with emotion. He was glad Tony couldn’t see his face from where he was seated. 

Tony’s heart swelled with pride and affection at hearing Peter describe him that way. It was like he had told Clint, Peter was his kid in every way that mattered. He was thrilled to know that Peter felt the same way. 

“It doesn’t matter whether the email explicitly violated the rules. The intent is clear and the asset admits it,” the committee head addressed the other members. 

There were murmurs of agreement from the rest of the committee as well as many of the spectators. 

The committee head gave them a moment before ordering everyone to quiet down. He looked at Peter again. 

“Asset Parker, you have violated the rules of secrecy regarding Project Legacy and you have broken S.H.I.E.L.D. clearance. These are extremely serious offenses. The penalty for these offenses is a change of custody.”

“Please don’t,” Peter whispered. He could barely be heard. Tony’s heart dropped to his stomach. 

The committee head ignored this and continued, “Normally you would be moved to the other side of the country and placed with a S.H.I.E.L.D. foster family. However, given your _ special circumstances, _ the committee feels it would greatly benefit S.H.I.E.L.D. to move you to a secure research facility outside of Washington DC. The scientists there will be able to study your unique physiology.”

Tony was aghast. He turned to Clint and Nat and saw that they were equally horrified. Expressions of both agreement and dismay could be heard from the spectators. Peter hung his head and covered his face with his hands. 

Hill spoke over the background noise. “The committee needs to reconsider. We’re not talking about an asset who told S.H.I.E.L.D. secrets to a classmate. We always knew the Avengers would find out about the project eventually. We just thought it would be after Parker had graduated Legacy. This is nothing more than a change in the timing.” 

“Agent Hill, are you suggesting that we allow such serious offenses to go unpunished?” The committee head demanded. “What message would that send to the rest of the assets?” He waved his hand in the direction of the mess hall. 

Tony had enough. He stood up and said fiercely, “You’re not moving this kid to a research facility. You’re not moving him anywhere.”

“That’s not your decision, Iron Man,” the committee head told him with a smirk. “You don’t have any authority here.”

Tony moved forward until he reached Peter’s table. “Maybe not, but this project depends on secrecy. I’m not bound by any secrecy agreement. I don’t even have the right clearance to be here. So what do you think is going to happen when the press finds out about this child soldier factory you’re running here?” The man asked angrily. 

“You wouldn’t,” one of the committee members said a little fearfully. “You would be putting a target on every one of these assets and you know it.”

“You’re not taking my kid,” Tony said darkly. Peter looked up at him with wide eyes. 

“He’s not your kid,” the committee head said firmly. This was the same man who thought it was appropriate to remind Peter that he was an orphan. Tony found himself hating this man, who had no concept of true family. And why did people keep saying that Peter wasn’t his kid? 

“Of course he’s my kid,” Tony snapped. “Family is made by more than blood and paperwork.”

“You can’t raise a child in a research facility,” Nat spoke up as she and Clint came forward to stand with Tony. 

“The research facility is state of the art. It is perfectly equipped to provide for his needs, including his advanced education and training,” one of the committee members told them smugly. 

“Sure, the facility can give him shelter, food, training, and schooling,” Clint replied, “but who is going to love him?”

“It’s not S.H.I.E.L.D.’s job to love the assets. He will be cared for appropriately,” a female agent on the committee informed him. 

Clint shook his head. “You can’t raise a kid without love.” As a father, he felt this deeply. 

“He broke the most important rule in Project Legacy. He needs to be punished,” one the the committee members stated. 

“Agreed,” said another member. “With his powers, he’s too unpredictable and too potentially dangerous to place with a foster family. He needs to be held at a secure S.H.I.E.L.D. facility.”

“Yes,” says yet another committee member. “And the best option is the research facility. This puts him in a secure environment and gives us the opportunity to fully study his superhuman abilities. It's a win-win solution.”

“This is _ not _ win-win,” Maria Hill said as she rose to her feet and approached the committee’s tall table. 

Nat immediately sat down in Hill’s chair and wrapped her arms around Peter protectively. 

Hill continued, “S.H.I.E.L.D. created this situation. Parker has powers because of a mission we sent him on.” Her voice was getting louder and tinged with emotion. “We told him to be loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D.. We told him to be loyal to the Avengers. He didn’t tell him what to do if those directives were ever in conflict. We set him up for this.” 

She turned and looked directly at Nick Fury. “We set him up for this,” she repeated in a quieter voice. “We’re punishing him for a situation we created.”

“Don’t move him to the research facility,” Tony pleaded. “If you need to put him at a S.H.I.E.L.D. base, move him to the Avengers compound.” 

The billionaire turned to Fury as well, “You wanted me to be responsible for him. So now let me take responsibility for him.”

Nat, still holding the boy in her arms, looked at Fury and said, “You would have to fight all the Avengers over this.” 

The committee head tried to regain control over the proceeding. He spoke up loudly. “The committee has made its decision!”

“Which I have the authority to overrule,” Nick Fury spoke for the first time since the hearing had started. 

The committee head shrank back. Everyone else quieted down, waiting to hear what the S.H.I.E.L.D. Director had to say. This was unprecedented. He had never overruled the disciplinary committee. 

Fury took his time as he stood up and took a few steps towards the center of the room. 

“I’m suspending this proceeding for now,” Fury announced. “This is something we need more than a day to figure out. There will be consequences and there will be a change of custody. Exactly what that will mean remains to be determined.”

The committee members were grumbling. “Suspended until when?” one of them asked. 

“Until the end of camp. We will reconvene after the mock mission. In the meantime, things go on as usual. I want the assets focused on their projects and their training.” Fury looked around the room dismissively. “We’re done here.” 

With that, the director walked out of the room, with Maria Hill following closely behind. 

The hearing room erupted into chaos as people expressed agreement, disagreement, or complete bafflement at what had just happened. 

Peter stood and turned to his mentor, “Mr. Stark…?” he started, then found that he had no idea what to say. 

Tony just pulled the boy into a tight hug. “It’s okay, Kid. Everything is going to be okay, I promise,” he reassured the teen. 

————————-

Later, two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents quietly met in an unused storage room. It was one of the few places at the camp without surveillance. 

“You heard Fury. They are going to move the spider-child for certain.” 

“And if they put him in a research facility or the Avengers compound, we’ll lose all chances to grab him.”

“We need to go to Plan B and take him during the mock mission. We can arrange it so that his team is sent to an actual Hydra base.” 

“If we take his team, we will capture not just the spider-child, but three additional S.H.I.E.L.D. children as well.”

“And then we can turn them while they’re young.”

“Yes, they will learn how we raise good Hydra children. Hail Hydra.”

“Hail Hydra.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love summer vacations in northern Michigan. The beaches on the Great Lakes are amazing, but even in July you need to bring a sweatshirt. 
> 
> I enjoy writing the contrast between how the Legacy kids treat each other and how the adults on staff treat the kids. The adults are clearly in charge, but the kids have built their own culture there.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha thinks about the first time she met Peter Parker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter makes a couple of references to Lewis Carroll’s book “The Hunting of the Snark”. They’ll make more sense if you’re familiar with the work, but it’s not required. (However, it’s a wonderful piece and I highly recommend reading it. It’s pretty short and it’s in the public domain, so the complete text is available online.) If you don’t want to read the whole thing, it may be helpful to at least look at the Wikipedia article (or some other summary) about it. 
> 
> If you don’t want to read either the original piece or a summary, you should at least know that when Carroll wrote it, the work “snark” didn’t have its modern meaning. He just thought it was a fun word to name his mysterious creature.

Things settled down after the hearing and the kids quickly got back into the regular routines of camp life. Fury asked the three Avengers to stay for a few days, and they agreed without hesitation. 

Nat and Clint spent a lot of time with the campers. They did more demos, but also gave lessons in martial arts, hand to hand combat, archery (Clint), and general spy techniques. Clint and Nat found that they enjoyed working with the children, who were all very respectful and attentive. 

The two super spies often found themselves staring at the last names emblazoned on the back of the kids’ shirts. They had known many of these kids’ parents, lost tragically. They had even met some of the children before. It was a painful reminder of their fallen colleagues and the inherent risks in their work. 

——————-

Natasha waited in the camp’s mess halls with a book in hand and a plate of fruit and crackers in front of her. It was 2:15 am and she knew that Peter’s metabolism would have him up soon, searching for a snack. 

Nat hadn’t been able to sleep. It bothered her that she hadn’t recognized Peter earlier. Maybe her skills were slipping. 

She had barely interacted with Spider-Man during the airport battle. So really her first time meeting him was when the Rogue Avengers had returned to the compound. He had been introduced to everyone simply as Peter, with the explanation that he was Tony’s protégé and Spider-Man. 

Some of the team, notably Steve and Sam, had made a strong effort to get to know the boy, training with him and chatting about his home and school. Wanda enjoyed watching movies with him. Clint had been wary of the teen and quietly disapproved of his activities as a young vigilante. 

Nat wasn’t especially interested in children (Clint’s own kids were the exception), so she hadn’t given the boy much thought. She assumed that FRIDAY had run some kind of background check and everything was clean. Of course she had noticed that Peter was a genius and was unfailingly polite. She figured she would eventually get to know him, sooner or later. For now, her priorities involved helping her teammates reconcile with each other after their little civil war. When he left for camp, Nat hadn’t even known Peter’s last name. 

Still, she really should have figured it out earlier. 

**************************

TEN YEARS AGO

Natasha sat in the car watching yet another funeral. Two coffins were slowly lowered into the side by side graves. A small group of mourners were gathered around listening (or not) to the minister as he droned on. A man and a woman stood at the front of the group. Between them was a small child, a little boy dressed in a dark suit. He had brown hair and dark eyes that stared solemnly at the two fresh holes in the ground. 

The super spy studied the child for a moment. Peter Benjamin Parker: five years old, verified genius, very recently orphaned, and now a S.H.I.E.L.D. Legacy Asset. 

She flipped open the file in her lap. The child’s birth certificate was on top. It was followed by the enrollment forms for Project Legacy. Mary and Richard Parker had signed them only hours after their son’s birth. Nat ran her fingertips over the signatures. She had known both of them, although not well and hadn’t worked with either of them in several years. Still, it was always hard to lose good agents. 

With a sigh, Nat flipped to the next item in the file. It was a copy of the boy’s IQ test, which was truly impressive. She skimmed a letter his kindergarten teacher had written to his parents describing both his brilliance and his unusual kindness. Then there was a summary of his medical history, his immunization records, and report from his dentist. The child was healthy and active, although a bit accident prone. Overall, he was an excellent resource for S.H.I.E.L.D.

The next items in the file were photographs of the plane crash. Nat flipped through those quickly. She had already read the report from the investigation of the crash. She didn’t need to revisit that. She paused a moment at the copies of Richard’s and Mary’s death certificates. Nat carefully read over the report about the boy’s only remaining relatives: an uncle and aunt on Richard’s side. The boy had been staying with them in the days since his parents’ deaths. Nat hoped the uncle and aunt were aware of the arrangements and knew what to expect. 

Nat dreaded assignments like this. She would rather fight a roomful of trained assassins than take custody of a Legacy child and deal with the grieving family and friends. But S.H.I.E.L.D. still held an old fashioned idea that female agents were better suited for this type of task. Nat scoffed at that. After her training and the Red Room, she didn’t think she had a single maternal inclination left. She could name several male agents who were better suited for this kind of assignment. Coulson would be better at this. Clint would be better at this, he was a father after all (although only a select few knew that). 

The group at the gravesite was breaking up, heading to the waiting line of cars. The boy walked with his uncle and aunt, holding hands with both of them. He looked over his shoulder as they walked away, taking one more long look at his parents’ graves. Then he was quickly ushered into the car. 

Nat followed the car back to Ben and May Parker’s apartment building and watched as the three entered the building. She turned on the radio and leaned back against the driver’s seat, deciding to give them some time together. But experience had taught her that it was best not to wait too long. So she waited just an hour and then entered the building. 

Her knock on the door was answered almost immediately. Ben Parker had changed from his funeral clothes into worn jeans and a dark shirt. As the man stared at her across the threshold, she couldn’t help but notice the striking resemblance to his brother. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Parker. I’m Agent Romanov,” Nat said in a polite, even voice. 

Ben swallowed hard and nodded. “You’re here for Peter.” It wasn’t a question. 

Nat felt a rush of relief that the man was aware of the situation. That made things easier on everyone. “Yes.”

Ben opened the door fully and stepped aside to let her enter the apartment. He showed her into the living room, where she sat on the couch and looked around. The apartment was small, but had a warm, cozy feel. 

May Parker emerged from one of the bedrooms. Like her husband, she had changed into casual clothes. When she caught sight of Nat, she stopped short. Eyes wide, May looked at Ben and then back at Nat. 

“Already?” May asked with a sob in her voice. “I thought we would have more time.”

Nat nodded and tried to sound sympathetic. “I know it’s soon. We believe that works for the best. You do understand the situation here?”

Ben took a seat on the nearby armchair. “Yes, my brother explained it to us.” His voice was heavy with emotion. “It’s just that Peter is so young.”

“I know. But he does meet the minimum age for the project.” Nat replied. “I just need to take him for a few days for his assessments and initiation. Then he’ll be back. As long as everyone agrees to follow the rules, you will be allowed to retain day to day custody of the boy.” 

She handed Ben a thick envelope. “This is a legal contract between you and S.H.I.E.L.D. It spells out the rules of the project and the responsibilities of all parties. The terms are non-negotiable. If you can’t agree to this, we will find another placement for him.”

May looked like she was still holding back tears. “Do we need to sign now?” she asked. 

Nat shook her head. “You have until I come back with the boy. Read them carefully. Understand what you’re getting into.”

Ben nodded. “We will.”

Nat stood up. “Is the boy ready? We should be going.”

“I’m ready,” came a very young voice from the hallway. The boy stepped into the room. Nat thought that he looked even smaller up close. He really was younger than any of the other Legacy children she had met. 

The child wore jeans and a tee shirt with a dinosaur on it. A duffel bag was slung over his shoulder and barely skimmed the floor. He looked frightened, but he stepped forward nonetheless. 

May knelt down next to him, then wrapped him in a tight hug. She told that she loved him, reminded him to be good, and said she would see him in a few days. 

Ben turned to Nat. “He needs a booster seat.”

“There’s one in the car,” the agent reassured him. S.H.I.E.L.D. had issued her one that morning. 

The man nodded. Then he helped Peter into a jacket and gave him a hug, whispering words of love and encouragement. 

Separating from his aunt and uncle, Peter slipped his hand into Nat’s - startling her a little. Then he allowed her to lead him away from what was left of his family. 

She got him settled into the car. Nat wasn’t quite sure how the seatbelt was supposed to loop around the booster seat, but Peter was obviously familiar with that and managed it with no problem. 

“I’m supposed to be in the back seat, ma’am,” he pointed out. 

Nat knew that. But she always had the Legacy children she transported ride up front. It was easier to monitor them and gauge their moods that way. “It’s a special day, so you get to ride up front,” she said simply. 

“Oh, thank you,” Peter sounded unsure, but didn’t argue about it. The kids rarely argued about it. 

“Ma’am, what’s your name?” the boy asked shyly once they got on the road. 

“I’m Agent Romanov. And you are Asset Parker. Understand?” she replied in a firm voice. 

“Yes, Agent Romanov,” Peter said quietly, his tongue stumbled a little over her name. “Where are we going?”

“The Triskelion. It’s S.H.I.E.L.D.’s headquarters in Washington DC. There are some people there who are eager to meet you, Parker.”

What should have been a four hour drive from New York to Washington turned into a six hour journey due to highway construction and a bad accident that had them at a standstill for a long time. Additionally, Peter required several stops to eat or use the bathroom. 

The boy tolerated the ride fairly well, although he was anxious and restless. He dozed a little. When awake, he talked a lot, telling Nat about his school and his friends. He told her random scientific facts. He described his favorite movies. Nat only half-listened at first, but was gradually brought into the conversation by his engaging and sweet personality. For a five year old, his stories and comments were actually interesting. He was highly intelligent as well as polite and well mannered. To Nat’s immense relief, he didn’t talk about his parents. 

By the time they got close to Washington, it was late at night. The boy was tired - it had been a very long day for him with the funeral and then traveling. It was too late to take him to the Triskelion. Nat made a phone call to reschedule their appointment until the next morning. Then she found a hotel for the night. 

It was a standard hotel room, nothing fancy. There were two queen beds, a small table and chairs, and a bathroom. Still, Peter acted like it was the lap of luxury and explored the small space thoroughly. Nat watched in amusement while he examined the small refrigerator and microwave, checked out the bathroom, tested the television, and tried out the various light switches. 

Nat put cartoons on the television. She ordered them room service, just a couple of sandwiches and soft drinks. Peter thanked her several times, which really wasn’t necessary. Once Peter was in his pajamas and had a snack, she told him to get into bed. He had a big day ahead of him. 

“What’s gonna happen?” Pete asked nervously. 

“Nothing bad,” Nat assured him. “You’ll meet some high ranking members of S.H.I.E.L.D. They’ll do some exams, to make sure you’re healthy and to see just how smart you are. And they’ll explain all the rules about Legacy to you. In a few days you’ll get to go back to your aunt and uncle. Do you understand?”

Peter nodded, but Nat wasn’t sure how much of it he understood at his age. 

“Will you read me a story, Agent Romanov?” Peter asked her with a quiet, hopeful voice. 

Nat frowned. It was rare for the Legacy children she escorted to request a bedtime story, but it did happen from time to time. Most of the time, she could convince the child to skip it and just go to bed. But Peter was so young, she wasn’t sure how to respond. 

“I don’t have any story books,” she said finally. 

Peter dug through his duffle bag until he found what he wanted. He held the slim volume out to her. “It’s my favorite.” 

Nat took the book from him. _ The Hunting of the Snark _ by Lewis Carroll. She recognized the author, of course. She had read the _ Alice _ books. But she wasn’t familiar with this particular work. She flipped through a few pages and sighed when she realized the whole story was one long poem. 

“Why don’t you read it yourself? I know you can read,” she pointed out. 

“Grownups read bedtime stories, ma’am,” he countered, as though stating the obvious. He climbed into the bed and got under the covers, then stared at her with wide, imploring eyes. 

Nat told herself that it wasn’t worth it to argue with a five year old and resigned herself to the inevitable. She sat against the headboard and opened the book. She felt the warm little body snuggle against her as she started reading. 

Nat wasn’t a fan of nonsense, in any form. So a book-length nonsense poem truly annoyed her. But Peter obviously loved it. He giggled in all the right places and gently corrected her when some of the more tongue-twisty passages tripped her up. 

_ They sought it with thimbles, they sought it with care; _

_ They pursued it with forks and hope; _

_ They threatened its life with a railway-share; _

_ They charmed it with smiles and soap. _

Nat found that she was pulled into the strange story with its odd characters and their hunt for the elusive creature called a Snark. 

The ending took her by surprise. It was ambiguous and somewhat tragic. However, the little boy seemed satisfied with it. He smiled up at her as she closed the book. 

“Thank you, Agent Romanov. Good night.” He gave her a quick hug. 

Nat smiled and gently ran a hand through his hair. “Good night, Parker.” She moved across to her own bed, taking the book with her. She wanted to read it again after the boy fell asleep. 

Nat woke to the sound of crying. She was immediately on alert. Eyes open, but keeping her body still, she looked around. Satisfied that there was no one else in the room, she relaxed and blew out the breath she had been holding. Then she got up quickly when she realized that there was _ no one else _ in the room. The other bed was empty, the blankets tossed about and the sheets a tangled mess. 

She found Peter hiding in the bathroom. He sat on the cold tile floor, leaning against the tub. He was sobbing. Somehow he had gotten up and found the S.H.I.E.L.D. file she had on him. The various documents were now scattered all over the floor. But in his hands and his lap were all the photographs of the plane crash, which clearly showed the mangled bodies of Richard and Mary Parker. 

“That’s Mommy and Daddy,” he choked out mournfully. Tears rolled down his flushed cheeks. 

Nat froze for a moment, stunned by the sight of the small child crying over the horrific photos. Then she sat down next to him. She gently took the pictures from him and set them face down on the floor. The boy turned and launched himself into her arms. On reflex she put her arms around him. He sobbed against her, a pitiful sound that tore at something unfamiliar inside her. Nat rubbed his small, quivering back and whispered comforting words. 

Eventually, the boy quieted, but his breathing was still uneven. Nat looked around at the documents covering the floor. 

“You shouldn’t be reading this, Parker. How did you even find this?” Nat thought the file had been well hidden away. She honestly didn’t know if she should be exasperated or impressed with the fact that he found it. Probably a little of each. 

“It has my name on it,” he stated, pointing to his name printed on the front of the file folder. 

“Just because it has your name on it doesn’t mean it’s for you,” she told him, but there was no harshness to her voice. “Come on, let’s get you back to bed,” Nat said as she stood up. 

The boy didn’t move, so she sighed and then picked up the child. He wrapped his arms and legs around her immediately and buried his face in her neck. 

She carried him to his own bed. Peter refused to let go when she tried to straighten out his covers, which the child had kicked and twisted into a knotted mess. Obviously he had not been sleeping well. 

“Can I sleep with you?” The small voice pleaded. It was muffled a little from where his face pressed against her. 

Her first instinct was to refuse, but as Peter continued to seek comfort from her, she relented. Wordlessly, she gave up on fixing his covers and moved them both to her bed. Peter snuggled against her immediately. The exhausted child quickly fell asleep, safe and secure in the agent’s arms. 

Nat, however, stayed awake the remainder of the night. This little boy had woken something in her that she had thought was long gone. She felt a protectiveness and fierce affection towards him that she couldn’t understand. He made her heart feel giddy. He frightened her. 

The next morning, she took Peter to the Triskelion. The boy was awestruck by the building and the impressive displays he saw everywhere he looked. He loved the glass elevator, pressing his face against it as they rode up to Nick Fury’s office. 

Once they entered the office, Fury came out from behind his desk to greet them. “Good morning, Agent Romanov, Asset Parker.” 

Then the man handed Nat a flash drive. “Your next assignment. You leave in an hour.” 

Nat was startled. “I’m not taking him back to New York?”

“Coulson will take him. You’re needed on this.” Fury replied. 

_ Please let it be a roomful of assassins and not another kid, _Nat thought. 

“What is it?” she asked calmly. 

“An assassination attempt on the one of the World Council members,” Fury replied. 

_ Yea! _Nat thought, although her face didn’t show how relieved she was to hear it. 

She looked at the boy, “Take care, Parker.”

Peter threw his arms around her waist. “Thank you for everything, Agent Romanov.” 

Nat gave him the slightest of smiles as the boy pulled away. With a nod to Fury, Nat quickly turned on her heel and walked out of the office, away from the child. She didn’t look back. 

*******************************

PRESENT DAY

Peter entered mess hall and stopped short when he saw Nat at one of the tables. She gestured for him to sit and slid the plate of snacks toward him. 

“Thank you, Agent Romanov,” he said politely asked he started eating. He saw an odd look in her eyes. “Is everything okay?” 

“I was thinking about the first time we met,” Nat said slowly. 

Peter nodded. “You don’t mean Germany, do you?” he asked. 

“No. I don’t.” She said. 

Peter looked at her with a small frown. “You never said anything. I didn’t know if you forgot or if we weren’t allowed to talk about it.”

“I never forget an assignment,” Nat said quickly and maybe a little defensively. “It’s just that you’ve changed so much in ten years.” And yet, in some ways, he hadn’t. 

Peter gave a short laugh. “Yeah, I guess I have.” He munched on the fruit and crackers. 

Nat wasn’t sure what to say. “Do you still like Lewis Carroll?” she asked finally. 

Peter grinned. “Yeah.” Then in a serious tone, he asked, “Do you think I’ll meet my Boojum?”

Nat had become familiar with Carroll’s works over the years and immediately recognized the verse he was referring to:

_ But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day, _

_ If your Snark be a Boojum! For then _

_ You will softly and suddenly vanish away, _

_ And never be met with again! _

Nat felt that same rush of fierce affection the boy had inspired all those years ago. She shook her head. “We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter I’ve written in any of my works. I couldn’t cut it down and still tell the story I wanted to tell and there’s no real way to split it. I hope people enjoy it.
> 
> I love and appreciate the comments and kudos! Thanks, everyone!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The campers prepare for the mock mission while Tony learns what Fury has been planning all along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long time for this update. We’re into that crazy time of year when there’s more demands on my time, leaving less time to write. Thanks to everyone who’s been sticking with the story - I appreciate all of you!

Nat and Clint were happy to spend the days after the hearing doing more demonstrations and giving the campers lessons in weapons and self defense. Tony, on the other hand, would have preferred to spend all his time with Peter. However, both Peter and Fury strongly encouraged him to get to know some of the other kids. Eventually, he gave in. 

The Legacy campers were clearly in awe of him, both as Iron Man and as Tony Stark. This fed his ego and made him more eager to spend time with them. He gave lectures to large and small groups on various topics in science and engineering. He visited the teenagers’ labs and studied their projects, which often blew him away. Some of their projects had incredible potential for real-world applications and could change the direction of industries. He had long conversations with many of the kids, learning about their backgrounds as well as their interests and achievements. 

He found that many of the kids were a lot like Peter. They were respectful, polite, utterly brilliant, and had tragic personal histories. All of the children had extraordinary talents. He met kids who were gifted in advanced areas of computer science, biology, mathematics, linguistics, and physics. Some were more athletically gifted, with agility and a natural marksmanship that could rival trained military personnel. 

Tony was impressed with all the campers. But he remained steadfastly convinced that out of the entire group, Peter was the smartest, the most interesting, and overall the best at everything. Tony said this to the two super spies while they were having lunch.

Nat simply smirked at him, but her agreement was clearly shown on her face. 

Clint laughed outright. “I think most parents feel that way about their own kids,” he commented. 

Tony wasn’t sure how he felt about being called a parent. It wasn’t really accurate, but it wasn’t completely wrong either. After all, he did keep calling Peter  _ his _ kid. 

The archer continued, “All these kids  _ are _ pretty amazing, but I’ll agree with you that Peter’s the best of the bunch.”

Tony smiled, “So you’ve changed your mind that Peter would be a bad influence on your kids?”

Clint’s face fell and he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Tony, but no. I want to keep my kids far away from anything connected to Legacy. That includes Peter. Plus, he’s still got the whole teenaged vigilante thing going on and I haven’t changed my mind about that.” 

Tony scowled. He understood Clint’s perspective, but he didn’t agree with it. “He’s a good kid,” Tony said firmly. 

“He is a good kid. He’s just not good for my kids,” Clint replied sadly. 

They finished their lunch in silence. 

——————

The teams for the mock mission were announced. Fury started by going over the details of the mission, which were just as Peter had described. There were three teams, with four kids each. Each team would be dropped off a few miles from a “Hydra” base. They would make their way to the bases, infiltrate, and retrieve their assigned target information (information about a new Hydra weapon, an encryption code, or a map). Then the kids would then go to a designated rendezvous point and set off a signal that they were ready for pickup. In case there was any problem getting either to or from the base, each team member would be issued a false ID and some money as a contingency. Once all the teams had returned, they would use the information that had gathered to complete the mission objective. 

As Fury talked about covert operations and the “Hydra” bases, Tony had to constantly remind himself that this was a  _ mock mission. _ He told himself that the kids were in no real danger and would actually be “infiltrating” S.H.I.E.L.D. locations and the information they were gathering was fake. But he nearly had a heart attack when Fury talked about giving the kids fake IDs and cash in case something when wrong. To be honest, Tony was unsettled by the entire thing. 

Then Fury announced the teams. Peter was going to be the leader for Team Two. His second in command was Alisha Zelinski, age thirteen. Tony recalled that she had a talent for computer science. Next on the team was Daniel Jackson, the twelve year old Tony remembered meeting in Peter’s lab. The boy was obviously elated that Peter had in fact chosen him for his team. The last team member was ten year old Molly Moreno. She looked like a tiny little thing and was one of the youngest kids chosen to participate in the mission. Team Two would be going to Base 14B and their objective was to retrieve the encryption code. The kids were clearly excited about the mission.

After the mission announcement, while the teams got together to start their planning, Fury informed the three Avengers that it was time for them to return to the compound. 

Clint and Nat went to gather their belongings, but Tony decided it was time to confront Fury. He pulled the other man into an empty conference room. 

“Why did you bring us here?” the billionaire demanded to know. 

There was a long pause before Fury began to speak, not even looking at Tony. “Project Legacy was established long before my time. I inherited it when I gained my position. The whole idea of children under S.H.I.E.L.D. guardianship...” 

The director shook his head, then turned to look directly at Tony. 

“What you’ve seen here isn’t the way Legacy was supposed to be. It didn’t start out like this. In the beginning Legacy was about protecting the wellbeing of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s orphaned children - making sure they were cared for. That they got a secure upbringing and decent education. That they were kept safe from S.H.I.E.L.D.’s enemies.”

“So what happened?” Tony asked with genuine interest. 

Fury continued. “Eventually, some people realized that many of these S.H.I.E.L.D. children were extraordinary talented. The Powers That Be decided to start using the kids as a sort of juvenile think-tank. They were often able to come up with creative solutions to problems S.H.I.E.L.D.’s adult scientists couldn’t solve.”

“So S.H.I.E.L.D. began exploiting the kids for their abilities. That’s what the summer projects are about.” Tony concluded. 

“Yes,” Fury agreed. “Then it was decided that the kids could be trained for missions. That was when the secrecy of the project became a top priority. The kids went from being seen as children who needed protection to assets to be utilized as the agency needed.”

Tony thought for a moment, then said, “You mean their wellbeing became less important than their usefulness.”

“You saw what happened at the disciplinary hearing. That committee has just been waiting for Parker to step out of line so they could have an excuse to turn him into a lab rat.” Fury’s voice held a note of disgust. 

“You clearly don’t agree with what Legacy has become. Why haven’t you put a stop to it?” Tony asked angrily. 

“I’ve argued that we should discontinue Legacy. But the World Council feels it’s too important to keep tight control of the assets.” Fury told him. 

“Are you saying nobody can put a stop to this?” Tony challenged. 

Fury smirked. “No. I’m saying nobody who is close to  the project can put a stop to it. Anyone who could be effective to stop Legacy doesn’t have clearance to know about it.”

That got her wheels turning in Tony’s brain. “What happens to the kids if Legacy just ends? I assume the original objective still remains, the need to protect their welfare.”

“Yes, right now Legacy pays for their living expenses, their education, medical care, and anything else they require,” Fury reminded him. “Plus, you’ve seen how these kids are together. They’ve become dependent on each other in ways we couldn’t predict. To take that away from them could be psychologically damaging.”

“Okay,” Tony said, thinking it through. “So we would need a foundation of some kind to provide monetary support and a way to keep the kids socially connected with each other.”

“It would take someone with considerable resources to set all that up,” Fury pointed out. 

“Luckily I’m a billionaire,” Tony said wryly. “Now I see why you brought me here.”

“I never said that,” Fury countered. But they both knew the truth. 

“Who will have legal guardianship over the kids? It couldn’t be S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore.” Tony said thoughtfully. 

Fury nodded. “Agreed. Guardianship would be transferred to the custodians they live with. The children who were moved for disciplinary reasons will be returned to their relatives.” There was a pause and then Fury added, “All except Parker.” 

“What? Why not Peter?” Tony demanded. 

“He needs more protection and guidance than May Parker can give him,” the director pointed out. “At the disciplinary hearing you were willing to take physical custody of him. But are you prepared to take full legal responsibility?”

Tony nodded, but then shook his head. “I am, but no. I won’t take him away from May. She’s raised him for ten years.” 

Fury considered. “Some type of shared guardianship then, with a joint custody agreement. I’ll leave it up to the two of you to work out the details.” 

Tony thought he could probably get May to agree to that. “But no more talk of sending Peter to a research facility,” he said firmly, with a hint of anger. 

“No,” Fury assured him. 

“If I’m going to take down Legacy, I’m going to need a lot more information. And proof of what’s been going on,” Tony realized. 

Fury nodded. “Karen has hidden files with everything you need to know. Ask her for the Upset the Applecart Protocol.”

Tony chuckled at that. But Karen’s involvement raised another question. “What about Peter? Does he know what you’ve been planning? Or has he been just a pawn in this game of yours to get me here?”

“I counted on Parker’s loyalty to you to set everything in motion. His requests to tell you about Legacy had become more frequent and each denial made him increasingly frustrated. I knew it was just a matter of time before he found a loophole. I just didn’t expect it to be Barton.” The director seemed a little amused. 

Even Tony laughed briefly at that. But then he frowned at the realization that Fury had manipulated both Peter and Tony. He felt anger rise within him over it. But before Tony could yell at the Director for his actions, the man interrupted his thoughts. 

“I know what you’re thinking, but I did what I had to do. Now go get your things and say goodbye to your kid. The quintet leaves for the compound soon.” 

As Tony reluctantly turned to go, Fury added, “I’ll make sure you’re back here when the disciplinary committee reconvenes after the mission.”

Tony nodded. “If they even get a chance to reconvene,” he replied darkly. 

Fury scoffed. “It’s going to take you more than a couple of weeks to take down Legacy.”

“We’ll see about that,” the billionaire said smugly. 

————————-

Tony and Peter only had time for a quick goodbye. Tony felt there was so much he wanted to say to the boy, but it would have to wait until later. 

“I’m sorry,” Peter said while they embraced and his voice cracked a little. 

“Don’t be,” Tony soothed. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“I won’t be able to send you any more emails. They put me on communication restriction,” Peter told him. 

Tony sighed disappointedly. He was going to miss hearing from the Kid. It was hard enough just being away from him.

Peter could feel Tony’s disappointment, but misinterpreted it. “I’m sorry. I just wanted you to be proud of me,” he admitted a little shyly. 

Tony pulled away a little, so he could look at Peter’s face. He smiled at his protégé gently. “I’m always proud of you. You are my kid and you are amazing.”

Peter beamed at hearing that.

Tony turned serious for a moment, “Just promise me you’ll be careful on this ridiculous mock mission. Be safe.”

Peter smiled at Tony’s paranoid concern. “It’s all perfectly safe. But I’ll be careful,” he reassured his mentor dutifully. 

“I’ll see you soon, Kid,” Tony said as he pulled him in for one more fast hug before he had to go. 

As they parted, Tony tried to push down the feeling of dread he felt about returning to the compound while leaving his kid behind. 

——————

The Hydra-within-S.H.I.E.L.D. agents met again in the camp’s basement storage room. 

“Everything is set to acquire the spider-child and his team?”

“Yes, Base 14B is a S.H.I.E.L.D. base that is actually controlled by Hydra. Our agents will be waiting for the children when they arrive.”

“Fury doesn’t suspect anything?”

“No, he believes that Base 14B is loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D..” 

“And the Avengers? We would prefer to avoid a fight with them.”

“The Avengers are headed back to their compound. Don’t be concerned with them. As soon as we capture the children, we will remove their tracking implants. By the time Fury or the Avengers know anything is amiss, the children will be untraceable and headed to their new lives.”

“What about the spider-child himself? Can we subdue him?”

“Yes. We have S.H.I.E.L.D.’s information about his abilities. We are prepared to overpower him. Then we can run all the tests we need to discover how his powers work.”

“Good. When the other children realize that the spider-child is helpless and that S.H.I.E.L.D. has failed to protect them, they will turn to Hydra.”

“Hail Hydra.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony, Clint, and Nat return to the Avengers compound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving! I’m thankful for this community and the support of my readers. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday (or at least a wonderful day, if it’s not a holiday where you are)!

Steve and Rhodes were waiting for the quinjet when it arrived at the Avengers Compound. 

“Where have you guys been?” Steve asked as his teammates disembarked. “Fury told us you were on some special assignment. What’s going on?”

“It better not be aliens or another killer robot,” Rhodes warned. 

“It’s not,” Nat reassured him. 

Tony looked at Steve. “Get everyone assembled in the conference room. Ten minutes.” 

————————

Tony told the rest of the team about the history of Project Legacy. Then he described what they had seen at the camp. Nat and Clint filled in details as he went along, adding their own observations. 

The team was shocked by what they heard. Steve shook his head as he listened to everything. He had long been disillusioned by S.H.I.E.L.D., but somehow he was still stunned by Project Legacy. 

“This is horrific,” Steve said as he took it all in. “But I gotta say, Tony, I’m a little surprised that you’re against it.”

Tony scowled, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You did bring a fourteen year old to a battle.” Wanda pointed out icily. 

Sensing the tension in the room, Rhodes tried to defuse the situation. “Come on, we’ve talked about that. I thought we’ve gotten past that.” 

Tony looked down, then said, “I know taking Peter to Germany wasn’t the best decision I’ve made, but I don’t regret getting involved in the Kid’s life.” 

Steve looked around at their teammates, then seemed to assume the role of spokesperson. “We have been over that. We accept that. You and Peter seem to be good for each other. I wasn’t referring to that.”

“Then what were you referring to?” Rhodes challenged. 

Steve sighed, “Tony, you have a history of being in favor of infringing on individual rights if you think it somehow helps the greater good.”

There were murmurs around the room, while Tony just fixed Steve with a harsh gaze that demanded an explanation. 

“You supported Project Insight - I mean the S.H.I.E.L.D. version, not what Hydra tried to do,” the captain clarified before the billionaire could protest. Then he continued. “Insight would have put everyone under surveillance and violated personal freedoms. When that didn't work, you made Ultron, an artificial intelligence to keep tabs on the whole world and everyone in it. And then you supported the Accords, which would have sacrificed the personal freedom of everyone in this room. So why is this different? Legacy sounds like the kind of thing that would be right up your alley.”

Tony wanted to scream in frustration, but forced his voice to remain calm. “You still don’t get it, do you? You still think the biggest threats are here on earth, even after what happened in New York? Insight and Ultron were meant to protect the earth from enemies off this world. And yes, the Accords were flawed. But we needed oversight and more importantly, we needed to keep the team together. That’s why I fought to have the Accords revised and to bring all of you back here. Because I guarantee you, something bigger than us is coming. And we will need to be prepared for it - all of us.”

There was quiet for a moment after Tony’s impassioned speech.

Then Sam asked, “Then why are you against Legacy? Doesn’t it prepare these kids to protect the earth?” 

Tony shot him an incredulous look. “Is that what you think?”

Sam shook his head. “Oh, I think Legacy sounds like a terrible idea. But I’m just trying to understand your thinking.”

Several of the others on his side of the table made sounds of agreement. Tony ran a hand over his face, exasperated. Even after all the efforts to bring the team back together, there were still remnants of the division from the battle about the Accords. 

He breathed deeply, to keep himself calm, then began to explain. “Legacy is different. Everything I wanted to do was for the purpose of protecting innocent lives. Legacy endangers _ children _ and doesn’t serve anything but S.H.I.E.L.D. itself. That’s gotta end. We’re the Avengers, but if we can’t or we won’t even protect a group of orphaned kids, then what the hell are we even doing here?”

“So this isn’t about Peter? You’re not just making this personal because they’ve threatened Peter?” Steve asked sharply. “If we’re going up against S.H.I.E.L.D. over this, we deserve to at least know your real motivation.”

Nat answered before Tony could even formulate a response. “Of course it’s personal because of Peter. He’s Tony’s kid - we all see that Peter is practically a son to him. But he’s _ our kid _ too,” the redhead spoke forcefully. “Just because it’s personal, doesn’t mean it isn’t the right thing to do.”

Clint spoke up. “She’s right. You can call him a Junior Avenger or an Avenger-in-Training or a Kidvenger,” the archer referenced the various titles the team had tossed around to describe Peter, “but the kid is one of us. So yeah, it’s personal. But more than that, Legacy is a mess. It’s time to end it.”

Everyone knew it was rare for Tony and Clint to see eye to eye on anything. So their agreement on this issue was significant. 

Steve looked around the table and read everyone’s expression. Then he nodded. “Ok. We’re all in on this. What do we need to do?”

All eyes turned to Tony. 

“That’s a good question,” Nat pointed out. “What exactly is your plan? How are you going to take down Legacy without risking the kids’ safety?” 

Those were really good questions. Unfortunately, Tony didn’t have answers - yet. 

———————-

Tony prepared for a long session in the workshop. He cleared out one of the servers and isolated it from the network. Then he plugged Peter’s mask into the interface device that allowed him to talk to Karen directly. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Stark,” she said politely. “What can I help you with?”

“I’ve spent the last few days at Camp Legacy,” Tony informed her. 

“Is Peter all right?” The AI asked quickly, her voice sounded full of concern. 

He smiled at evidence of the bond between the young superhero and the AI. “Peter’s fine. He’ll be home in a couple more weeks,” he reassured Karen. 

“That’s good news, Mr. Stark,” Karen replied. She sounded relieved. 

“It’s time to activate the Upset the Applecart Protocol, Karen. Transfer the relevant files to my workstation,” Tony commanded. 

“Understood, sir,” Karen answered. He watched while the list of files appeared on his screen. “That’s everything, Mr. Stark,” she confirmed after the last of the files had been transferred. 

“Thanks, Karen.” Tony started typing rapidly. “I’m afraid we need to do something about your programming.”

“Sir?” Karen sounded confused. 

“You’ve been hiding things from me. You altered FRIDAY so she wouldn’t detect Peter’s tracking implant,” Tony said accusingly. 

“I did, sir. I was under orders from S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Karen admitted. 

“You’ve been compromised,” Tony said sternly. “You’ve been working for S.H.I.E.L.D. and that’s unacceptable. I need to go over your code line by line to see what else they’ve done to you.”

“I understand,” Karen said contritely. 

“To do that, I need to remove you from the Spider-Man suit and move you to an isolated server.” Tony told her. 

“No...no. Please, Mr. Stark, don’t take me from the suit,” Karen protested. 

“Peter’s safety is a top priority. I can’t trust you with his safety when you’re following S.H.I.E.L.D.’s orders instead of mine,” Tony reprimanded her. 

“I’ve always looked out for his safety. I’m sorry. I’ll follow all your orders. Sir, please… I was designed to be in this suit. Without it, I don’t know what I will be,” Karen pled desperately. 

It was hard to listen to the AI beg. It reminded Tony of when he had taken the suit from Peter. But the man knew he had to do this. He had learned his lesson after Ultron’s attack on JARVIS. 

“You’ll be okay, Karen,” he said more gently. “You’ll be offline while you’re in the isolated server. It’ll be like you’re sleeping.”

“For how long?” Karen asked. 

“A few weeks, maybe a month,” he told her honestly, if a little regretfully. 

Tony needed to go through all the files Karen had transferred and figure out how to take down Project Legacy. Additionally he had to go through FRIDAY’s code to see how much she had been altered. Only when those tasks were completed would he get around to examining Karen’s code. 

“Will I dream?” Karen asked anxiously. 

The question surprised him. “Of course you will. All intelligent creatures dream. No one knows why. Maybe you’ll dream about Peter.”

“I hope so, Mr. Stark.” Karen sounded more calm than before. 

“Good night, Karen.” Tony solemnly made the final keystrokes that pulled the AI from the Spider-Man suit. 

———————

Tony couldn’t bottle up FRIDAY like he did with her little sister. She was far too complex and too integrated into everything: the compound, his Iron Man suits, Stark Industries. Maybe it had been a mistake to depend on her for so much, but he couldn’t change that now. Instead of taking her offline completely, he would shut down specific functions one at a time to run diagnostics and check her code. 

For the next several weeks, Tony spent every day in his workshop. When he wasn’t working on FRIDAY, he was pouring over the documents Karen had provided. The amount of data they contained was overwhelming. 

He read about the founding of Project Legacy, including his own father’s involvement. He watched recordings of World Council sessions and read top secret directives that gradually altered the purpose and direction of the program, until the kids were seen as just assets to be used and controlled. He was sickened by how the council and Fury’s predecessors talked about the children. 

There were files on each child: details about their personal backgrounds, test scores, medical histories, records of training and missions. 

Most of the kids who had graduated from Legacy in the past decade became S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with distinguished records. Of those who went into other fields, the majority were highly successful. The council and S.H.I.E.L.D. took this as proof that Legacy had benefited everyone involved. 

But there were other files that told stories of children who had been injured and traumatized, either while still in Legacy or soon after graduating from it. These worrisome stories were seen as failures on the part of the individual kids, rather than failures of Legacy. It disgusted Tony that S.H.I.E.LD. was willing to take all the credit and none of the blame for whatever happened to these kids. 

After several weeks he had barely scratched the surface of what was in the _ Upset the Applecart _files. The billionaire realized this was going to take a lot longer than he had expected. 

——————-

If Tony had been left to his own devices, he most likely would have never emerged from the workshop during those weeks. But the team took turns forcing him to take breaks to eat, sleep, shower, and actually socialize. After a while, he stopped fighting them and discovered that the breaks really did increase his productivity. 

Clint Barton’s family visited the compound for a vacation. Cooper, Lila,and even little Nathaniel loved the pool, the cinema, and the gym, as well as exploring the extensive grounds. Laura kept thanking Tony for the rare chance to relax, knowing that the children were safe and having fun. It warmed Tony’s heart to see the children enjoying everything the compound had to offer. At the same time, it made him miss Peter even more. 

Pepper forced Tony to stay involved in Stark Industries. She harassed him about attending meetings. He postponed them as long as possible, but there were some responsibilities he couldn’t escape. The timelines for the release of new products needed his review and approval. Disagreements between department heads needed to be settled. Business partners required face to face meetings to solidify contracts. Eventually, he had to see to the needs of his company. 

Tony was leaving a conference room at SI when his phone rang. “Stark,” he answered without even glancing at the caller ID. 

“Tony, where are you?” Steve’s worried voice came over the line. 

“I’m in the city. I had some meetings for SI that I couldn’t put off anymore,” he replied as he flipped through the notes on his tablet. “You wouldn’t believe the nonsense some of the department heads came up with...”

Steve cut him off, “You need to get back here immediately. Something’s happened.”

Tony’s blood ran cold. “What’s going on?”

There was a pause and Tony was about to demand an answer when Nat’s voice came over the line. “Fury’s on his way here. Something’s gone wrong with the kids on the mock mission. That’s all we know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s a quick homage in this chapter to Arthur C. Clarke’s novel “2010: Odyssey Two” and the movie based on that book. I mean no disrespect by stealing a snippet of dialogue from that amazing work. 
> 
> I wanted to show that while the Avengers are back together, they aren’t quite a happy family. They’re trying, but there are still hard feelings all around and they are slow to trust each other again. 
> 
> The next chapter will have Peter and his team embarking on their mission.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and his team go on the mock mission. Things don’t go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been a long wait between chapters, but life is busy like that. I appreciate all the readers who have been waiting for an update. 
> 
> This chapter starts some Peter Parker whump. It’s very mild in this one, but will get more intense in the future. There will not be intense whump of the other children, although they will have minor injuries. Just warning you now.

The night before the mock mission, Camp Legacy was quiet. All the campers who weren’t participating in the mock mission had gone home, leaving the place half-empty. Similarly, many of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on staff had left to go the mission locations, adding to the deserted feel of the camp. 

Peter had done a final review with his team earlier in the evening. Now he was working intently in his lab, doing one last check of his redesigned web shooters when Jason Wang appeared in the doorway. 

“Hey, Team Leader, are you all set for tomorrow?” the older teen asked. 

Peter smiled at his friend. “Are you checking up on me, Mission Commander?” Peter asked playfully. “I’m good. Just double checking things.”

Wang took a seat at the work table and watched as Peter counted out vials of his web fluid. 

“You’re taking webs with you?” he asked in surprise. 

“Yeah. I convinced Director Fury that it would be a good chance to test my new webs. Look, I redesigned the web shooters so they can hold vials of both types of webs at the same time.”

Peter strapped one of the web shooters to his wrist and demonstrated. First he shot out his original white web that would dissolve in two hours. Then he made a subtle, but deliberate, twist of the wrist. When he shot the next web, it was the long-lasting blue one. 

“Thats awesome!” Wang exclaimed. Then after a moment, he asked, “isn’t Fury concerned about you using the webs without your Spider-Man suit? What about protecting your identity?”

Peter shook his head. “We’ll be at a S.H.I.E.L.D. base. Any S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with clearance to be part of the mock mission know about me anyway.”

Wang nodded, but got the feeling that Peter wanted to say something else. So he waited. 

“To be honest, I’d be taking them even if Fury hadn’t approved,” Peter admitted after a moment. 

“Why? Are you looking for another disciplinary hearing?” Wang asked. 

Peter smirked at that. “No. It’s just… Can I tell you something unofficially? Not as Team Leader to Mission Commander. Just as us talking?”

Wang gave him a concerned look. “Yeah, Parker. What’s going on?” 

Peter bit his lip, as if debating what to say. “You know how I have my spider sense? How I can tell when danger is coming?”

Wang nodded. He didn’t actually understand Peter’s spider sense - and he wasn’t sure anyone else did either - but he certainly knew about it. “Yeah. What about it?”

“When I think about this mission… there’s just something about it that makes my spider sense go off. It feels like something dangerous is going to happen,” Peter said in a low voice. 

Wang wasn’t sure what to think about that. “Does it go off when you spar against the Avengers? Because the mock mission is kinda the same thing.”

Peter considered that. “It does. But I don’t get the feeling before I spar with them. It’s more just in the moment, like right when I need to dodge a hit. This… this feels different.”

Wang shrugged. “Maybe you’re just nervous. I know you’ve been on mock missions before and even missions with the Avengers. But this is your first time as Team Leader and that responsibility can be nerve wracking.”

“Maybe,” Peter said doubtfully. He knew that wasn’t the cause, but he couldn’t really explain what he was sensing. Not wanting to put undue stress on Wang, Peter let the matter drop. 

“What about you?” Peter asked, changing the subject. “Are you ready for your big role as Mission Commander?” 

“Yeah. But I can’t believe it’s my last mock mission,” the older teen said wistfully. In a couple of months Wang would turn eighteen and graduate from Project Legacy. 

“You’re joining S.H.I.E.L.D., right? Soon you’ll be doing this stuff for real. Not just the little missions they send us kids on,” Peter reminded him. 

“I know. But I’ll miss coming to camp and seeing everyone.”

Peter knew he would miss Wang as well. They had become good friends over the years. It was always hard when a member of their group aged out and moved on. 

“Besides, I probably won’t get any _ good _ missions until I’m done with college,” Wang complained. 

Peter chuckled. That was also true. Junior agents never got the good missions. 

They fell silent and Wang watched as Peter went back to counting out the vials of web fluid. Then he packed them into a small case that would go into the team’s supply kit. 

“Anyway, I just wanted to wish you luck tomorrow,” Wang said eventually, as he slid off the stool. 

“Thanks, you too,” Peter replied. 

Wang started to leave, but turned back in the doorway. “Don’t let your spider sense trip you up out there. I’m sure it’s just nerves. The mock mission is meant to be challenging, but it’s not actually _ dangerous.” _

“I know that,” Peter agreed. But he really didn’t. 

Wang gave him an encouraging smile before going. Peter thought about everything for a moment and then added a few more vials of web fluid to the case. 

——————————

One of the fascinating things about secret bases that they could be anywhere. Some were in isolated locations, hidden in the woods or behind barricades in rural areas. Others were in hidden in plain sight in dense urban areas. Some were located in quiet suburban neighborhoods. A few were hidden among other institutions: that nondescript building on a college campus or medical complex. 

S.H.I.E.L.D. Base 14B was a gray, squat building in the commercial area of a suburb just outside a small city in Minnesota. It was surrounded by other gray, squat buildings and tucked into the back of an outdated and rundown office park. 

Team Two - Peter Parker, Alisha Zelinski, Daniel Jackson, and Molly Moreno - was transported by S.H.I.E.L.D. jet to a small, government owned airfield in the general area. Then they were transferred to a waiting car. The agent driving dropped them off at a small city park located a couple of miles from Base 14B. From there, they would make their own way. 

It was mid afternoon when they got to the park. They would need to wait until dark before heading to the base. That was part of the learning too, getting used to the waiting that was part of missions. The kids liked to imagine that missions would be glamorous, fast-paced, and action-packed. The truth was that there was often a lot of waiting around for the action to begin. So while the kids were eager to get on with it, they knew they needed to restrain themselves and wait for just the right moment. 

Dressed in casual summer clothes, they blended in with the locals enjoying a warm summer day in the park. They choose an isolated picnic table and dug into the bag of snacks that S.H.I.E.L.D. had provided. 

Peter unzipped the front pocket of the backpack that contained the team’s supply kit and pulled out a small drone with its control unit. Jackson and Zelinski had spent hours building and configuring the tiny drone. It was less sophisticated than the drone from his spider suit, but it was well-made and would get the job done without being detected. 

He set the drone on the table, then handed the control unit to Zelinski, who was commonly called Zee by all the campers. She made some small adjustments, then launched the drone. Peter watched the screen on the control unit and tried to ignore the buzzing sensation that nagged at the base of his skull. 

“Great work on the drone, you guys,” he told his teammates. As Team Leader, it was part of his job to be encouraging. The office park came into view on the screen. Zee carefully flew the drone over the all the buildings, allowing them to figure out the best route to their target. Finally, she flew it over the building that was Base 14B. 

“Slow it down, Zee,” Peter told her as he studied the screen. She had a drone make a slow pass around all sides of the building. Then she hovered the drone over the roof. Molly watched excitedly over her shoulder. 

“There,” Peter said decisively, pointing to vent on the roof. “That’s our best way in. Can you hack the security system from here?”

Zee nodded. “Yeah, it won’t take long.” She passed the drone’s control over to Jackson and pulled another device from the backpack. 

“How are we going to get on the roof?” Jackson asked as he started to pilot the drone back to the park. 

“Well, S.H.I.E.L.D. provided us with climbing equipment - a grappling hook and rope. Fury would probably prefer that we use it,” Peter said. 

“I’m not good at climbing,” Molly said with some embarrassment. 

“Don’t worry about that,” Peter assured her. “You’ll stick with me and I’ll piggyback you up there.” As team leader, he felt protective of all his team members, but especially of Molly since she was so young. 

Zee looked at him pointedly, “Are you going to climb or are you going to _ climb?” _ Her meaning was clear. 

“I’m not using Fury’s equipment,” Peter replied. “And I don’t think you guys should either.”

“Do you plan to carry all of us up there?” Zee asked sarcastically. 

Peter laughed. “No, I’ll take Molly up with me, then I’ll use webs to pull you and Jackson up.”

Jackson’s eyes lit up at the very idea of that. But Zee wasn’t so sure. 

“I don’t know. Maybe we should just use the ropes,” she said a little reluctantly. “After all, we have trained on using them.” They had practiced the skill a little. 

“Well, it’s a four story building. Do you want to scale four stories quickly and then be ready for what comes after?” Peter asked. 

“Good point. We’ll do it your way,” Zee said quickly. Peter chuckled at how little it took to convince her. 

“How’s the security system coming?” he asked. 

The girl smiled. “I’ve got it. I switched the cameras offline. Now the system is replaying the recording from last night, which was completely uneventful. They’ll never see us.”

“Well done,” Peter said approvingly. He looked at his watch and then at the sun, which had started to set. “Let’s start heading in that direction.” He shouldered the backpack with their supplies. 

The small group made their way without hurrying and kept up the appearance that they were just carefree kids out on a summer evening. Once they got close to the office park, they found a discreet place to change from their colorful casual clothes into their black tactical shirts and pants. They stayed close to the edges of the complex until they arrived behind the building that was Base 14B. 

Peter handed the backpack over to Zee and lifted Molly onto his back easily. “You good back there? Hold on tight,” he said lightly. The little girl wrapped her arms around his shoulders. 

Peter deftly climbed up the wall. Part of him wished he had his Spider-Man suit, not because it made the act of climbing easier, but simply because he had become used to doing this type of activity in the suit. He felt exposed and self-conscious climbing the wall in his S.H.I.E.L.D. issued tactical uniform. But he knew that was just in his head. Probably like the nervousness that was causing his spider sense to scream at him. No one would see him in the darkness and with the base’s security system hacked. 

He landed on the roof noiselessly and gently set the little girl down. He stood on the edge of the rooftop, above the spot where Zee and Jackson were waiting. 

As expected, Jackson waved excitedly, indicating that he wanted to go first. Peter shot a web that hit Jackson in the middle of the chest. Then he quickly, but gently whisked the boy up the roof. A moment later, he did the same with Zee. 

“That was so awesome!” Jackson practically whisper- shouted excitedly, while the others shushed him. 

Zee shook her head at the younger boy’s enthusiasm. “It was cool. And a lot easier than trying to scale the wall,” she admitted quietly to Peter. He grinned in reply. 

Getting back to business, Peter directed them to the vent. He carefully pulled off the grating and led his team in. The team had spent days studying the floor plan of the building. So once they were in the vent system it was easy for them to navigate the vent system and locate the room where they would find the encryption code they needed to retrieve. 

Once they were above the room and verified that it was empty, Peter noiselessly pulled off the vent grate and set it aside. He ignored the forceful buzzing in his skull and signaled the others. One by one, the kids carefully and silently dropped into the dark room. 

Suddenly, an alarm was blaring, the lights came on with blazing brightness, and Team Two was surrounded by a dozen Hydra agents. 

“Shit,” Peter swore under his breath while his senses were painfully overwhelmed, keeping him from fully knowing what was going on. He could feel rough hands grabbing him and knew the others were being grabbed as well. 

Peter forced himself to remain calm. Capture was one of the scenarios they had been prepared for. They had trained for this contingency. He expected that they would be placed in a holding cell with guards nearby. Then, they would need to plan and execute an escape and still retrieve the encryption code. The mission was more complicated now, but still achievable. 

Peter heard Molly yelp in pain and he thought that maybe the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents acting as Hydra agents were taking their roles a little too far. He barely had time to contemplate that when he felt the sharp sting of a needle in his arm. He immediately felt lightheaded and dizzy as his confused senses started to fade. He tried to hold on to what was happening around him, but quickly lost the battle and sank into unconsciousness. 

——————

Peter slowly became aware of voices around him. He could hear Molly crying and Zee trying to comfort her. Jackson was calling his name over and over. He could feel that he was lying on his back on a cold surface. His web shooters were gone. His hands and feet were held in restraints. He tested them and there was no give. 

With some effort, he pried his eyes open and looked around. Rather than a holding cell, they seemed to be in some kind of medical unit, judging from the equipment he could see. He was cuffed to a metal table. Turning his head, he found the other three children. Their hands and feet were tied to their chairs, which faced Peter’s table like an audience. 

Peter tried to clear the remaining haziness from his mind so they could start to formulate an escape plan. 

“Are you guys, okay?” Peter asked, his voice was weak from whatever they injected him with. He didn’t know if they had drugged the others as well. 

“Parker, what’s going on?” Jackson asked, trying not to sound frightened. He didn’t sound drugged. 

Just then, the door opened and several Hydra agents came in. 

“Oh, you’re awake,” a female agent said with mild surprise. “I thought we would have to do this while you were still out of it.” 

“Do what?” Peter asked, confused and barely able to talk above a whisper. 

“We need to move you to another location. But we can’t do that with your trackers in,” the woman informed them. 

One of the men grabbed Molly’s left arm and ran a hand held imaging device over it. “There,” he said. He tore the sleeve off the girl’s shirt. 

The woman picked up a scalpel and cut into Molly’s upper arm. The little girl screamed. Then the woman used a pair of scissor-like forceps to remove the tracking implant that had been set just under the skin. Once removed, the implant was placed into some sort of high-tech box. 

The same procedure was repeated on Zee and Jackson. Both of them tried to hold back their cries of pain. 

The man ran the imaging machine over Peter’s left arm, but found nothing. He repeated the action on Peter’s right arm, again with no success in finding the tracker. 

“Check his thigh,” another male agent suggested. Peter recognized that one. He knew that agent from camp. 

The agent with the machine moved the device around Peter’s left thigh and found what he was looking for. “It’s in deep,” he told the woman as he tore Peter’s pant leg open. 

She gave Peter a smile that looked more threatening than joyful. Then she cut into his thigh, through the skin and deep through the muscle. Peter clenched his jaw shut as he tried not to yell in pain. She dug around with the forceps until she found the tracker and pulled it out. Peter’s breathing was ragged as he watched her deposit his tracker in the box with the others. 

The woman looked at the four children. The three in the chairs had blood running down their arms. She frowned, then gestured to the male agent Peter had recognized. That man moved quickly to clean up each of the three, wiping up the blood and putting a bandage on their wounds. Peter received no such care. However, he could feel the muscle in his thigh start to knit back together due to his enhanced healing. 

Peter’s mind was racing as he was frantically trying to figure out what was going on. “What… what are you doing?” his voice was rough. 

“This box will keep your trackers active so they will transmit your location and healthy vital signs to S.H.I.E.L.D.,” the woman said proudly. “Of course, they won’t be your real location and vital signs, but by the time S.H.I.E.L.D. realizes that, you kids will be long gone.”

Zee was confused and fighting back tears. “I don’t understand. You aren’t supposed to actually hurt us.” 

The woman smiled mockingly. “You don’t understand? I thought all you kids were supposed to be geniuses.” 

The buzzing in Peter’s skull drowned out the pain in his thigh as realization fell into place. “Oh my god! You’re really Hydra! You’re not pretending!” he said in horror. 

The agents laughed, pleased with themselves for having captured four children. 

“Load them up, move them out!” The woman ordered. Turning to Peter, she said, “I think it’s best we let you sleep during transport.” She shoved another needle in his arm. 

As Peter fought to stay conscious, he heard Jackson ask where they were going. 

“To your new lives,” one of the men answered ominously. 

It was the last thing Peter heard as the drugs overtook him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hydra conducts medical experiments on Peter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Peter. He gets a lot of abuse in this one. I don’t think it’s too graphic, but the descriptions may make some people uncomfortable. 
> 
> I make no claim of accuracy for anything medical.

Peter woke to the sensation of movement. His head seemed foggy and everything ached. He was still cuffed hands and feet to the metal table, which shook slightly from the movement. He turned his head and saw his teammates sitting on the floor, their hands and feet tied. Molly and Jackson looked like they were asleep, but Zee was staring at him. 

Peter opened his mouth to ask her where they were, but Zee shook her head meaningfully. He closed his mouth and took a quick look around instead. They seemed to be in a big metal box. _ Truck, _ he realized after a minute. 

“He’s waking up,” he heard the voice of one of the Hydra agents. 

A hand grabbed his arm roughly. He felt the prick of the needle and then everything faded back into darkness. 

The next time Peter woke, they were in a medical lab just like the first time he had woken. He was still restrained to a medical table. Turning his head, he saw the other three children with their hands and feet tied to their chairs. The chairs faced Peter’s table like an audience. 

He shook his head in confusion. “What…Where are we? I thought they moved us somewhere.”

“They did,” Zee told him. “We were in a truck all night. We don’t know where we are.”

It went without saying that S.H.I.E.L.D. had no way of knowing where they were either. They couldn’t count on being rescued. 

“Are you guys okay?” Peter asked worriedly. “Did they hurt you? Did they drug you?” 

“They didn’t hurt us,” Jackson answered. “But we’re really scared,” he admitted quietly. Molly nodded, her eyes wide with fear. 

“They didn’t drug us,” Zee told him. “They did give us breakfast about an hour ago. But I don’t think there was anything in the food.”

Molly gasped at that, like the possibility of their breakfast being drugged hadn’t occurred to her. “Maybe we shouldn’t have eaten it. But I was so hungry,” the little girl lamented. 

“It’s okay. You needed to eat.” Peter reassured her. His own stomach was painfully empty. 

Suddenly the door to the room opened. The female agent who had removed their trackers came in, followed by three male Hydra agents. Peter recognized one of the men from Camp Legacy. They hadn’t interacted much and Peter couldn’t remember his name. 

“Welcome to your new lives with Hydra,” the familiar male agent said cheerfully. He had a habit of blinking rapidly. Peter idly wondered if it was a nervous tic or if the man had a vision problem. Peter decided to think of him as Blinky. Keeping with the Pac-Man ghost theme, he mentally named the others Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. 

“S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t value children like we do,” Inky told them. His voice was surprisingly kind. “S.H.I.E.L.D. considers you assets - property. They only care about what you can do for them. They don’t care about you as individuals, as the wonderful, amazing children you are. S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t love you.” 

“No, S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t love us. But they don’t pretend to either. It’s not S.H.I.E.L.D.’s job to love us,” Peter said emphatically. 

Blinky ignored Peter’s outbursts. “We won’t hurt you. Hydra cherished children. Hydra only wants to protect you and keep you safe.”

Zee frowned deeply. “What about Parker? He’s a kid and it looks like you’re going to hurt him,” she argued. 

Inky pointed at Peter. “Parker isn’t a human child. Not anymore, anyway. S.H.I.E.L.D. did this to him. S.H.I.E.L.D. turned him into a monster. The kind of monster that children need to be protected from.” The man’s gentle tone didn’t match his words. 

“That’s rude,” Peter remarked. “And S.H.I.E.L.D. didn’t do this to me.”

“Didn’t they?” Pinky - the female agent - countered, as she stepped close to the older boy. “S.H.I.E.L.D. sent you on the mission that got you bitten by that spider. They could have stopped this. Did you know that? You suffered in a S.H.I.E.L.D. medical facility for four days. I’ve seen the report. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s doctors could have prevented your transformation into this mutated creature you are now.”

“No. You’re lying. They couldn’t have stopped it,” Peter protested weakly. _ Could they have? _He didn’t want to believe that. It didn’t matter anyway. He was Spider-Man. He loved being Spider-Man. 

Blinky, Inky, and Clyde moved to Zee, Jackson, and Molly. They cut the bindings on the children’s hands and feet, then pulled them to stand up. The Hydra agents started to march the children out the door. 

“No,” Peter yelled, his voice strained. “Let them go! Where are you taking them?” 

Blinky smiled. “Where all the good Hydra children are.” 

Peter watched helplessly as his teammates were pushed out of the room. He was left alone with Pinky, who smiled at him. There was no warmth, no fondness in her smile. 

“You’re quite the specimen, spider-child,” she said enthusiastically as she slipped a long white doctor’s coat over her Hydra uniform. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had one quite as interesting as you. I’m eager to see how you work.”

“Oh, I’m a great worker. I work a lot better when I’m not tied down though,” Peter quipped. 

He tried to discreetly pull at the restraints, but his effort did not escape her watchful eye. 

“You can try that,” Pinky said with a smirk. “But it’s a vibranium alloy. You’re not getting out of those.”

Hearing that, Peter stopped fighting the restraints. But his mind latched onto one word. _ Alloy. _ Not pure vibranium then. Depending on what other metals it was mixed with and what percentages, there was a chance he could break it. But he would need more strength. Right now he was weakened by the residual drugs in his system and lack of food. If he could somehow gain his strength back…

His thoughts were interrupted by Pinky cutting his clothing off him, leaving him in just his boxer shorts and exposed to the cool air in the room. 

“Hey! Not cool!” he protested uselessly. Pinky just smirked in response. 

She placed a hand on his thigh, right where she had dug his tracker out of the muscle. The wound had completely healed and she gave a satisfied nod. “Healing is remarkable,” the woman murmured to herself. 

Pinky started placing electrodes on Peter’s scalp and chest. The door opened and Clyde returned to the room. 

Pinky smiled at him in greeting. “Are our new recruits getting settled in already?” 

Clyde nodded. “They’re taken care of. I figured you could use some help here.” He took over placing the rest of the electrodes on Peter and turned on the EEG and EKG machines. 

Pinky looked at the data from the machines. “We’re getting good readings on electrical activity from the brain and heart.” Then she frowned slightly. “Try to stay calm, Parker. I’d like to have an accurate baseline before starting the experiments.”

That statement definitely did not make Peter calm. He could feel his heart beat faster and his mind raced, wondering what was going to happen. 

Pinky made a disapproving sound as the machines evidenced Peter’s inability to stay calm. Clyde pointed out something on the EEG machine. The woman studied the reading, then lightly pressed on the electrodes that were stuck to the base of Peter’s skull. 

“That must be the spider-sense we’ve heard about,” Pinky commented to Clyde. “Let’s keep an eye on that during the experiments. If we could figure out how to replicate that ability, it would be very useful.”

She then picked up a tablet and started swiping through the screens. “Where to start?” she wondered aloud. After a moment she seemed to reach a decision. “Might as well start with the basics.”

The basics apparent meant a complete physical examination. Or as complete as could be done with the patient restrained on the exam table in a prone position. Pinky took his vitals, drew a large amount of blood, and thoroughly inspected his eyes, ears, mouth, skin, limbs, hands, and feet. It was humiliating. 

“I understand you have super-senses. We’re going to be testing their limits today.” The woman picked up something from the counter just out of Peter’s line of sight. She placed a device over Peter’s eyes, completely blocking his vision. 

He gasped as the device forced his eyes open. He was staring into a deep darkness. Peter wondered if it was a sensory deprivation or if he was supposed to see something. Just as the darkness started to unnerve him, faint flashes of light barely appeared. They started as infrared - which he just could barely see - then progressed through what was usually considered the visual spectrum. The colors blended into each other: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. They ended in the ultraviolet range, which Peter could see due to his enhanced vision. 

The colors then repeated, just slightly brighter this time, following the same cycle. Over and over, the sequence of colored lights flashed and blended one into another, each time getting gradually brighter. The process seemed to take hours. The rapidly shifting colors overstimulated Peter’s optic nerves and gave him a headache. He tried to close his eyes, but couldn’t. As the lights became brighter, they hurt even more. His eyes burned. His head throbbed. Peter desperately shook his head, trying to knock the device off, but had no success. 

Peter tried not to cry out in pain, but he couldn’t help it. He gasped and whimpered. His breath was ragged and his heart was racing. He could feel tears streaming from his eyes. As the brightness became unbearable, Peter started to scream. He screamed until he was hoarse and his voice failed him. His body flailed, pulling at the restraints on his wrists and ankles to no avail. 

Finally, the device was removed. Peter couldn’t see anything, just the after images of the too-bright lights. He closed his eyes tightly. He felt a cloth wipe his face and then cover his eyes. He could hear Pinky and Clyde talking, but due to the intense pain in his head, he only caught bits and pieces of what they said. 

“...vision beyond the usual human spectrum… infrared… ultraviolet…”

“....strong sensitivity to brightness, especially in the ultraviolet range….” 

“....highly unusual brain activity… not processed in the normal way…”

“Parker… can you report on what you experienced? Parker?” Pinky questioned him. 

Peter turned his head away from her without answering. 

“Subject uncooperative,” Clyde noted. 

Peter couldn’t believe it. They expected him to cooperate? To report on his experience? 

Pinky addressed him again, “We’ll give you a couple minutes to settle down before we start the next one.” 

_ Next one? _ Peter wondered. He was supposed to endure another test? But he could already feel that his eyes and his throat were healing. His breath was becoming regular again. However, his head continued to throb. 

Pinky watched the readings on the EEG and EKG machines. She must have been satisfied with them, because she grabbed something else off the counter. Stepping close to the boy, she placed a device in each of his ears. 

Peter tried not to panic, realizing they were going to test his hearing the same way they had his eyesight. The test started with total silence and once again, Peter found the lack of sensory input disturbing. But just as it became unbearable, there was a quiet low sound just on the edge of his hearing. The sound gradually raised in pitch from a low, rumbling bass to a high ear-splitting whistle. After a moment of quiet, the sound sequence began again, slightly louder this time. And then it repeated again and again, over and over, each time at a slightly louder volume. Once again, the process seemed to take hours. 

As the sounds got louder, they became more painful. Peter tried to fight through the pain and hold back his cries. But as the sounds became intolerable, he groaned and whimpered. He couldn’t breathe properly. He turned his head and tried to dislodge the devices by rubbing them against the surface of the exam table. But strong hands stopped him and held his head still. 

Peter’s head was throbbing more than ever. Finally, he felt an explosive pressure in his ears, followed by intense pain. Then everything was quiet. His body retched and vomited, but he hadn’t eaten in so long that not much came up other than bile. He was vaguely aware that his eardrums must have ruptured. He felt dizzy, and tried to cling to consciousness, but passed out anyway. 

—————

When Peter came to, it was to cold water drenching him. Clyde was hosing him down while he was still on the exam table, rinsing the sweat and vomit off his body. The table had been adjusted so he was sitting up slightly. Peter could watch the water cascade over the edge of the table and run to the drain in the floor. More than that, he could hear the water, indicating that his eardrums were already healing. 

Seeing that the boy was awake, Clyde shut off the hose, then roughly towel dried the boy’s body and hair. He missed spots, leaving Peter chilled where his skin was still damp. Peter discovered that there was a feeding tube in his nose going down the back of his throat. To his humiliation, he also realized that he had a urinary catheter. 

Clyde laughed at Peter’s embarrassment. “We need to monitor your intake and output,” the man explained unnecessarily. “Gotta keep you fed just the right amount. Can’t have you dying on us before the experiments are done.”

Peter huffed and looked away. Clyde laughed again. “The doctor said you should get some rest before the next set of tests. She’ll be back in the morning.”

Peter had no sense of time. He didn’t know what time of day it was. He didn’t know how long it had been since his team was captured. _ His team. _He didn’t even know where the other three children were. 

“Where are the others?” Peter tried to sound demanding, but the NG tube made his voice weak. 

Clyde smirked. “They’re fine. They’re Hydra now.” 

Peter refused to believe that. He was still responsible for his team. “I want to see them.”

Clyde laughed at him. “Rest up, Parker. Big day tomorrow. ” And with that, Peter was left alone in the room. 

Full of worry and dread, Peter pulled at his restraints again. There was the tiniest amount of give, causing the teen to feel the slightest glimmer of hope. If he could just get back enough strength, he had a chance to find his team and get them out of there. Right now, he needed to rest and figure out his next step. 

——————

Peter slept fitfully. It was impossible to get comfortable cuffed to the hard metal table. He had wanted to stay awake to be alert if anything happened. However, his body desperately needed sleep and he couldn’t resist the eventual pull into an uneasy slumber. 

He woke up suddenly as he heard Pinky and Clyde approaching the medical lab. He pulled at the cuffs on the wrists. They bent just the slightest bit, not enough to free him. 

The door opened as Pinky and Clyde entered the room. They looked excited. “Good morning, spider-child,” Pinky greeted him brightly. “I hope you slept well.”

“The accommodations here are terrible and the room service sucks,” Peter replied. “Where’s my team?”

Pinky smirked and ignored his question. She and Clyde looked over the EEG and EKG readings and seemed satisfied by what they saw. 

Slipping on her doctor coat and a pair of rubber gloves, she continued, “We got a lot of good data from yesterday’s tests on your senses. Today, we’re going to take some samples so we can study some of your other powers.” 

That sounded unpleasant. She picked up a scalpel. “First a muscle sample, so we can study your strength.”

Peter watched in horror as Pinky sliced open his left thigh, in almost the same place where she had removed his tracker. He bit his lip, trying not to cry out. She pulled back the layers of skin, then cut into the muscle. She cut long sections of muscle tissue, while Clyde carefully placed them into a specimen container. Finally unable to hold in his pain, Peter yelped loudly. 

Pinky sealed the container and set it aside to be analyzed later. She moved to examine one of Peter’s hands. “Climbing walls is one of Spider-Man’s most impressive abilities. How do you do it? Do you have some kind of grippers on your hands? Or do you excrete some sort of adhesive substance?”

Peter turned his head away, refusing to answer. Pinky seemed amused by his recalcitrance. “You don’t have to tell me. I’ll figure it out in the lab.” 

Peter squirmed and tried to pull away as Pinky dug the scalpel into the palm of his right hand. She carefully removed the skin from his hand: first the palm, then each finger and the thumb. Clyde assisted by passing her instruments and labeling the specimen containers. 

It was a long, slow, painful process. Peter screamed until his voice gave out. Then he sobbed pitifully. Several times, he thought he might pass out. His heart raced and his body was covered with sweat. At the end, his hand was a raw, bloody mess. They never even gave him anything for the pain. 

Pinky cleaned the wounds on his leg and hand, but didn’t bother to bandage them. She wanted to see how they would heal. 

Peter wanted to shout that she wouldn’t find anything from the skin samples. He didn’t have grippers. He didn’t excrete any adhesive substance. He stuck to surfaces and climbed walks by manipulating the electrostatic forces between himself and any surface he touched. But Peter was terrified of telling Pinky that because who knew what she might try to cut out of him then. 

“We did some good work today,” Pinky said with a smile, as if this were a collaborative effort. Meanwhile, Peter tried to calm himself down despite the pain and the terror. “I think you deserve a reward. I’ll see what I can arrange,” the woman continued. 

“How about you let us go,” Peter suggested. 

Pinky chuckled. She turned to Clyde, “Get him cleaned up.” Then she picked up the specimen containers and left the room. 

Clyde smiled at Peter as he pulled the hose from the wall. “Bathtime, spider-child.” 

While Clyde hosed him down with the shockingly cold water, Peter pulled again at the restraints. This time, he was too weak to get even the slightest movement from them, especially without real food and with his right hand so badly damaged. 

Peter was afraid that if he didn’t get his strength back soon, they would lose any chance to get out of there. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers learn that Peter’s team is missing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s another reference to “The Hunting of the Snark” in this chapter. (Can you tell it’s a favorite of mine?)

Tony paced in the conference room where the Avengers were gathered as they waited for Nick Fury to arrive. 

“He didn’t give you any details?” Tony asked Nat for the third time. 

“No, Tony,” Nat replied yet again, her patience was starting to wear thin. “All we know is that something went wrong with the kids on the mock mission. He didn’t tell us anything else.”

Finally, FRIDAY announced the Director’s arrival. Several minutes later, he entered the conference room. Maria Hill followed, carrying a small case. They stood at the front of the room while everyone else settled into seats around the large table. 

Fury looked at Tony. “I assume you told all of them about Project Legacy.” It wasn’t a question. 

“Of course I did,” Tony replied. “They needed to know, for the Kid’s sake.” 

“Then let’s get started.” Fury said. 

He gave the Avengers a brief synopsis of the mock mission. Like Tony, many of the Avengers were appalled by the very idea of turning dangerous missions into a game for children. 

Then Fury added something new. “The assets didn’t know this, but once each team infiltrated their assigned base, they were going to be ‘captured’ and placed in a holding cell. Each team would have the added challenge of escaping from the cell and then completing their mission objective. The teams had trained for that possibility, so it shouldn’t have been too difficult. However, we did expect that to add a considerable amount of time to the duration of the mission.”

“So what’s gone wrong?” Tony demanded to know. His feeling of dread was growing. 

Fury stared down the billionaire before he continued. “Each team was equipped with a location beacon. Once they completed their objective, they were to get to a safe location and set the beacon. This was the signal that they were ready to be picked up. Teams One and Three set their location beacon after the expected amount of time.”

“And Team Two?” Nat asked before Tony could. They all knew that Team Two was Peter’s team. 

“Never set their beacon. They never signaled for pickup,” Fury said evenly. 

“What do you mean? Are they still at the base?” Steve asked. 

“We weren’t immediately worried. The assets’ tracker implants were still transmitting healthy vital signs.” Fury said calmly. “ But as time passed and we didn’t get a signal from Team Two, I contacted Base 14B for a status update. There was no response. Hill took a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to Base 14B to see what was going on.”

“What did you find?” Clint asked the female agent, his voice full of concern. 

“The base was abandoned. No S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. No assets. No one was there.” Maria told them. 

“So where are they? What about the tracker implants?” Tony asked. 

Fury and Maria exchanged a look. Then Maria opened the case she had brought and removed a strange high-tech looking metal box. She placed it on the table. 

“We found this at Base 14B,” Maria explained. “The four tracking implants are inside this. They’re still transmitting data - their current location and false vital signs.”

Tony picked up the box and turned it over in his hands carefully. Then he set it back on the table. “FRIDAY analyze this box and its contents.”

“So where are the kids?” Steve demanded. 

Fury paused. Then said, “We did an investigation. I’ll spare you the details. But what we discovered is that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been infiltrated by Hydra. There were Hydra agents undercover at Camp Legacy. We have a one in custody and he admitted to arranging to have Team Two sent to Base 14B. It's a S.H.I.E.L.D. base, but it had been completely operated by Hydra for quite some time. We don’t even know how long.”

After a moment of shock, Steve said. “I thought we got rid of all the Hydra agents in S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Fury looked at him evenly. “Evidently we missed a few.”

“More than a few,” Sam muttered under his breath. 

Tony’s anger erupted. “Are you telling us that you sent four children to a Hydra base? Not just sent them there, but you basically dropped them off at a Hydra base?” 

“That was not our intention,” Fury said with forced calm. “We sent four trained S.H.I.E.L.D. assets into a controlled situation designed to challenge their skills.”

“Stop calling them assets!” Clint yelled. “They’re children. You handed four children over to Hydra!” No doubt the archer was thinking about his own children who were currently playing on the compound grounds. 

“Does Hydra know that Peter is Spider-Man?” Vision asked. 

Maria nodded. “The agents who had infiltrated Legacy knew, so yes. We’re working with the theory that’s why they targeted his team, but we can’t be sure. The agent in custody hasn’t told us the full plan.” 

Fury added, “Hydra did a lot of preparation to pull this off.”

Tony looked at Bucky and then at Wanda. “You two know more about Hydra than the rest of us. What will they do to him? To all of them?” The billionaire tried to keep his fear out of his voice. 

Bucky answered first. “The other kids won’t be hurt. Hydra - bizarre as it sounds - Hydra adores children. Hydra’s children are cherished and protected. Some are born into Hydra, kids of Hydra agents. Others are homeless kids taken in off the streets. A few are the stolen children of Hydra’s enemies. However Hydra gets them, the children are loved and well cared for.”

Tony didn’t know whether or not he should feel relieved to hear that. 

Wanda nodded in agreement, “From what you said about Legacy, Hydra will treat those kids better than S.H.I.E.L.D. ever did. And that’s how Hydra will win them over, convert them to their side - through love and kindness. They know it will take a long time, but eventually they will win the children’s hearts.”

Nat shook her head. “And Peter?”

Bucky sighed and reluctantly continued. “Peter is a different story. Hydra won’t view him as a child - not really. They’re probably interested in his powers. He’s different than the super soldiers who were created by the serum. So they will want to know how his abilities work and how to replicate them.” 

“What will they do to him?” Tony asked again insistently.

Bucky took a deep breath, “Hydra scientists will experiment on him until they learn everything they can about his physiology. After that, if there’s anything left of him, they’ll brainwash him. They’ll convert him by force into a weapon they can use.”

_ “If there’s anything left of him, _” Clint repeated bitterly. “You mean if he’s still alive.”

“Yeah,” Bucky said sadly, without elaborating further. 

Tony closed his eyes briefly, took a deep breath. “How do we find them?”

Bucky shook his head. “They have bases that house the Hydra schools, where the children are kept. But the locations of those bases are highly secret. I don’t know where they are.” He looked to Wanda to see if she knew, but the young woman simply shook her head. 

Sam turned to Fury. “How much of a head start does Hydra have on us? How long ago did all this happen?”

Maria looked at the floor. Fury grimly replied. “It’s been three days.”

All around the table there were exclamations of anger and disbelief. 

“You waited three goddamn days before telling me that my kid is missing!” Tony yelled. “What the hell?”

“We’ve been doing our investigation. Additionally, we had to abort the rest of the mock mission, shut down Camp Legacy, and send the rest of the assets home.” Fury informed them, his voice infuriatingly calm. “This is a S.H.I.E.L.D. matter. I’m only bringing this to you now because we kept hitting brick walls on finding the missing team. I thought you might have additional resources.” 

A thought suddenly occurred to Tony. “Have you even notified May Parker? Or the other kids’ families?” But he already knew the answer to that, because if May knew Peter was missing, she would have called him already. 

Maria replied, “We haven’t notified any of the custodians. They don’t know we had to shut down the camp, so they think the assets, _the_ _children,_ are still there.” 

Tony swore under his breath. 

Steve spoke up in his leader-of-the-team voice, “Let’s get to work. We need to pull up all the intel we have on Hydra bases and figure out where these schools of theirs might be. That Hydra agent in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody needs a more thorough interrogation. We’re going to find those kids and we’re going to bring them home.”

———————

Laura Barton was greatly upset upon hearing the news of what had happened to Peter and the other children. 

“Maybe I should take the kids home. You don’t need the distraction of having us here,” she said to Clint in a low voice as the two drank coffee in the communal kitchen. The archer had been going over the gathered intel on Hydra and was taking a break to check on his family. 

“No,” Clint replied firmly. “You’re safer here. I’ll feel better knowing you and the kids are safe here.”

“He’s right,” Tony stated as he stepped into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. “We don’t know for sure exactly why Peter and his team were targeted. This is the safest place for your family to be until we get this resolved.”

Clint gave the man a grateful look. He could see how stressed his teammate was. 

The billionaire ran a hand over his face. “I contacted Scott and told him to keep Cassie close. We still don’t know for sure if they took Peter because he’s a S.H.I.E.L.D. kid or an Avenger kid or because he’s enhanced. It’s better to err on the side of caution in keeping all your children safe.”

Laura nodded. “Alright, we’ll stay here. Thank you, Tony.”

Tony tried to smile at her and almost succeeded. Then he turned and headed back to his workshop. 

Laura frowned. “He’s really taking it hard,” she observed to her husband. 

“Yeah. Well, Peter’s like a son to him,” Clint explained. “He’s a pretty special kid. We need to find him soon.”

———————

In the workshop, Tony reviewed the data from the four tracking devices. Much to his disappointment, he hadn’t found anything helpful. The kids’ vital signs had been consistent with a highly stressful situation, which could have been the mock mission itself or an attack. The information from Peter’s tracker suggested that he may have been rendered unconscious for a while. That was worrying, but didn’t help them know what happened. It wouldn’t help him bring his kid home. 

After giving up on the trackers, Tony spent some time studying the lives of Richard and Mary Parker. He really should have done it a long time ago, like when he recruited the Kid. But there hadn’t really been time to delve into the boy’s past then. And since then, Tony had alternated between not thinking about it and persistently putting off dealing with it. He had the available records projected onto the holographic screens. He poured over the displays, learning everything he could about the couple. 

“What are you doing?” Nat asked. 

Tony jumped and nearly spilled his coffee. He hadn’t heard the super spy enter the room. 

“How’s the interrogation going?” He asked, once he regained his calm. 

Nat frowned. “We haven’t gotten anything yet. Steve insisted I step away for a while.” 

Tony understood what that meant. Nat must have been dangerously close to losing control of her temper. 

“So you came here to keep me company?” His attempt at lightheartedness fell flat. 

She gave him a grim smile. “Did you get anything off the trackers?”

He shook his head. “Nothing useful, other than confirmation that the kids were alive when the trackers were removed.”

“Well, that’s something, at least,” Nat commented. She looked at the screens and asked, “What’s all this?”

“I’m trying to understand the Parkers better. I’m trying to understand what led them to choose Legacy for their son,” Tony replied slowly. He tapped the display to advance it to the next record. 

The image on the screen changed and Tony was suddenly staring at photographs from the Parkers' plane crash. The images were gruesome and disturbing. 

“Oh my god,” Tony breathed. He was shocked by the pictures. “I hope Peter never sees these.”

Nat frowned deeply. “He already has,” she answered sadly. 

Tony looked at her in alarm. “He has? When? How?”

“When he was five. After the funeral,” Nat’s voice was heavy. 

Tony’s eyes were wide. “How do you know that?”

She swallowed around the lump in her throat. “There were times I was assigned the duty of escorting Legacy assets to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters for their initial processing.”

Tony was stunned. “Peter?” he asked in a low voice. 

Nat nodded, avoiding the man’s eyes. “We stopped at a hotel for the night. I guess he couldn’t sleep because he got up in the middle of the night and somehow discovered where I had hidden the file. I found him sobbing in the bathroom staring at these pictures.” 

The man’s mind was reeling from this information. “But… You never said anything. He never said anything…”

Nat sighed. “He never said anything because he didn’t know if he was even allowed to talk about it. I never said anything… because it was ten years ago - I didn’t recognize him. I did my best to forget about the kids after each assignment” She sounded sad and a little ashamed. 

Tony was stunned. Finally he asked, “What was he like when he was five?”

Nat smiled, a nostalgic look in her eye. “He was sad and scared, his parents had just died. But he was also sweet, smart, polite. Shy and charming at the same time.”

Tony smiled a little. It was still an accurate description of the boy. 

Nat spoke again, “I only knew him for a short time. But even with just that, I didn’t want to let myself get attached to him because I knew I’d never be able to let him go.” 

Tony nodded. “Yeah, I realized that way too late,” he admitted quietly. 

Nat smiled slightly. “I think I got attached anyway.” 

There was silence between them for a moment. Then Tony said brokenly, “Three days. They could be anywhere.”

Nat was about to answer when a snippet of poetry sprang to her mind: 

_ But if ever I meet with a Boojum, that day, In a moment (of this I am sure), I shall softly and suddenly vanish away—And the notion I cannot endure! _

She pushed the thought away. “We’ll find him, Tony. We won’t rest until we do.” 

————————-

The team’s intel on Hydra suggested several possible locations. The Avengers spent the next several days storming Hydra bases, without much success. The first base had long been abandoned. The next three were active Hydra bases, but they didn’t find a school or any children. They captured several Hydra agents; however, despite the team’s best interrogation techniques, they didn’t learn anything helpful. 

The Avengers knew that with each passing day, the chances of finding Peter and the other kids diminished. They tried to keep their hopes up, but without any real leads, the reality of the situation was starting to look grim. They needed new information and they needed it soon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love how in the comments people are wondering if the kids will escape or if they’ll be rescued. I’ve had a plan since the beginning of this story of how that would go. I hope that when it’s all done, readers will find it a satisfying resolution to the situation. :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter suffers more at the hands of Hydra and finally sees his teammates again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another long chapter (long for me, anyway). But there’s a lot in here that couldn’t be split off to the next one. I hope readers enjoy it!

Peter experienced the next several days as a blur of pain while he drifted in and out of consciousness. 

Pinky had told him that they wanted to study his internal organs, to see what effect the spider bite had on them. “Of course an MRI would be the least painful way to do it,” she had said. “But we can’t do an MRI with those cuffs on and we certainly aren’t going to risk taking them off you. So we need to do it the old fashioned way.”

The _ old fashioned way _turned out to be cutting into Peter’s chest and abdomen multiple times so that Pinky, with Clyde’s assistance, could poke around at his organs and even take some samples. They didn’t use any form of anesthesia. Peter was awake for some of it. He was aware of his own screaming while she cut out pieces of his spleen and liver for study. She took additional skin and muscle samples from his already mutilated right hand, still searching for the secret to his stickiness. 

Pinky didn’t care if Peter was awake for the procedures or not. When he was awake, he would often scream and try to flail against the restraints, but that did nothing to deter the woman from her work. Eventually he would pass out from the intense pain and the constant bodily stress of what was done to him. Peter usually woke up while he was being hosed off, still cuffed to the same metal table, with the feeding tube and the catheter back in place. They provided Peter with enough nutrients to keep him alive, but not enough to restore his strength or let him heal. 

Pinky would tell Peter repeatedly that he had earned a reward and she would see what she could do for him. At first, he clung to that assurance, hopeful that it would give him some reprieve from the constant procedures and the pain. But as the days went on, Peter gave up on her empty promises and realized it was all a lie. 

And then one afternoon Pinky told Clyde to clean Peter up and announced that there would be no further tests that day. He was finally getting his reward. The Commandant himself had something special planned. 

——————-

Blinky and Inky wheeled Peter on the metal lab table down several corridors until they reached a dark space that had an odd, hollow feel to it. Unexpectedly, they pivoted the table forward putting Peter in a mostly upright position, although he was still supported by table top. That was good, because Peter doubted that he would have the strength to keep himself up otherwise. Blinky checked that his restraints were still tight. Meanwhile, Inky placed a thick cloth in Peter’s mouth and tied the gag at the back of his head. Then the two agents hurried off. 

Peter was left alone in the darkness for several minutes. He strained to see or hear anything in his immediate surroundings, although he was aware of more distant sounds. Finally, he heard someone approaching. 

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, spider-child,” the exaggerated sweetness in the voice sent a chill down Peter’s spine and made his spider sense tingle. 

“It’s _ Spider-Man _,” Peter tried to insist, but behind the gag his response was incoherent. 

The man in front of him laughed. He stepped closer to the boy. “I am the Commandant of this facility. You are here as my guest.”

Peter could see that the man was tall, with a presence that radiated power and authority. He had a fair complexion with dark hair, a swooping mustache, and triangular goatee. Staying with the Pac-Man theme he had used to nickname the other agents, Peter had a flashback to the cartoons he and Ned used to watch on Disney. This man reminded Peter of Lord Betrayous, the most evil and power-hungry of all the Pac-Man ghosts. 

Peter wished he didn’t have the gag so he could give a snarky response about how much he was (wasn’t) enjoying the guest accommodations. 

Betrayous stepped over to a podium that Peter somehow hadn’t noticed before. The lights came on in the space and Peter realized that they were on a stage in a small, empty auditorium. He wondered what was going on, while his spider sense became a throb. 

Suddenly, children started noisily filling the auditorium. They talked and laughed with each other as they settled into the seats. There must have been at least fifty children, ranging in age from preschoolers to teens a couple years older than Peter. All were dressed in shirts with the Hydra symbol. Peter strained as he tried to locate his missing teammates. He thought that he heard Jackson’s voice and caught glimpses of the girls, but he couldn’t be sure. 

“Children, take your seats and settle down,” Betrayous called out. “We have a very special assembly today.” Curious and eager to see what was going on, the children settled quickly. 

Betrayous smiled widely, “Good afternoon, my beloved children!” he called out fondly.

“Good afternoon, Commandant!” the children cheerfully replied in unison. 

“It makes me so happy to see all of you here. Hydra has the most wonderful children in the whole world.” Betrayous started his speech. “As you know, three of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s unloved children have found their way to us. I am pleased and proud of the way you have all warmly welcomed these children into our family. I know that in the coming weeks and months you will help them learn our ways and help them to understand that they truly have a home here with Hydra. Hydra loves all of our children.”

The children clapped and cheered in response. Several shouted out, “Hail Hydra!”

Betrayous continued. “I know you all have heard rumors that we also captured one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most heinous experiments. I can tell you,” he paused for dramatic effect, “the rumors are absolutely true.”

Screens positioned above the stage suddenly came on. They showed video clips of Spider-Man in action: swinging between the skyscrapers of New York, saving a woman from muggers, preventing a bus accident, rescuing a family from a fire, webbing up bank robbers in Queens, and finally one of Spider-Man fighting alongside the Avengers.

As the clips played, the children booed loudly and jeered Spider-Man. They yelled out things like “Freak!”, “Mutant!”, “Bug-boy!”, and “Monster!” These reactions shocked Peter and disheartened him. He had never gotten that kind of negative reaction, especially from kids. Kids always loved him. The shouts continued even when the video clips ended. Betrayous had to call the children to silence. 

“That’s right, my dear boys and girls. We have captured the Spider-Man!” Suddenly, the spotlights shone brightly on Peter, momentarily blinding him. Gasps and whispers were heard from the children. 

The commandant pointed to Peter. “Have you heard that he has superhuman strength? Have you heard that he is more powerful than ordinary men? How strong and powerful does he seem now?” From behind the podium Betrayous pulled out a cat o’ nine tails. Peter’s eyes went wide as he saw the whip. The man lashed Peter repeatedly across his chest, shoulders, arms, and legs. Biting in the gag, the teen tried not to cry out as the nine separate tails tore into his flesh, ripping new wounds and reopening his existing surgical incisions. 

Finally, the man stopped. Peter was covered in blood. His breathing was ragged behind the gag and he could barely stay upright. 

Betrayous grinned evilly and pointed at the boy again. “Does he look strong and powerful to you?” The man asked the assembled children. 

“No,” the kids screamed back. A couple added shouts of “He’s weak!” 

Betrayous told them, “This pathetic freak was once a human child like you. S.H.I.E.L.D. experimented on him and turned him into a monster! His DNA has been forcibly altered. He is no longer a human child! This is the ultimate proof that S.H.I.E.L.D. does not care about the children in their care. This is the evil of S.H.I.E.L.D. we fight against! Hail Hydra!”

The children started to cheer “Hail Hydra! Hail Hydra! Hail Hydra!” at the top of their lungs. The sound was deafening. 

The man laughed, enjoying the children’s enthusiasm as much as Peter’s pain. The teen’s body sagged forward, held in place only by the restraints. Betrayous gestured to Blinky and Inky come forward. He commanded them, “Take him away!” 

Peter was dragged from the stage while the children continued to boisterously cheer and shout their loyalty to Hydra. 

———————

Much to Peter’s surprise, after he was hosed off he wasn’t returned to the medical lab. Instead, he was brought to a large windowless room that was furnished like a dorm room. In one part of the room there were two sets of bunk beds, with a curtain between them. The room also had four desks and two dressers. Three of the desks had stacks of books and papers on them. The fourth was empty. 

Blinky and Inky pushed Peter onto one of the lower bunks. Then they fastened his restraints to metal bars attached to the wall. The teen guessed that these were made of vibranium alloy too. 

“What’s going on?” Peter asked. 

Blinky chuckled. “It seems there’s a disagreement about what to do with you. The doctor wants to dissect your brain to get a better understanding of your senses. But some of the higher-ups want to keep you alive until they decide if you would be useful as a weapon. Until they make a decision, it’s best to keep you out of the medical lab. Otherwise the doc might get a little impatient.” Peter shivered. He could just imagine how much Pinky wanted to cut into his brain. 

Inky added, “And here, your little friends can see just how weak and pathetic you are. They will know that you are S.H.I.E.L.D.’s greatest failure.” Peter winced at that. The Hydra agents laughed at him as they left the room. 

He collapsed against the bunk bed mattress. It was surprisingly comfortable, even more than the mattress on his bed at Camp Legacy. To Peter, who had spent the last several days and nights strapped to a metal table, the bed seemed downright luxurious. He knew he should stay awake, to figure out some plan of action. But exhausted, malnourished, and in pain, it took only a few minutes for Peter to sink into a fitful unconsciousness. 

————-

Sometime later he woke to the sound of the door opening and familiar voices calling to him. 

“Oh my god!” Zee exclaimed as she rushed to the side of the bed. “Until this afternoon’s assembly, I was afraid they had killed you!” Jackson and Molly followed close behind her. It was shocking to see the three of them in shirts with the Hydra insignia. 

Peter gave them the best smile he could muster. Then his expression fell. “They still might, if we don’t get out of here soon.”

“Won’t S.H.I.E.L.D. come to get us?” Molly asked, obviously clinging to that hope. 

Zee frowned. “I don't think they are. With our trackers removed, S.H.I.E.L.D. has no way of knowing where we are. Right?” She looked to Peter for confirmation. 

“Yeah,” Peter agreed, “they can’t find us. But more than that, we don’t know how much of S.H.I.E.L.D. had been taken over by Hydra. There were Hydra agents in Camp Legacy. Base 14B was completely taken over by Hydra. I don’t think we could trust anyone from S.H.I.E.L.D. right now. We’re gonna have to get ourselves out of here.”

Zee nodded sadly. She had pretty much come to the same conclusion, but the two younger kids looked surprised to hear this. 

“Are they watching us in here?” Peter asked cautiously. 

“No. There’s no surveillance in the kids’ bedrooms. That’s one of their rules,” Zee replied.

Peter scrutinized his teammates carefully. They appeared to be unharmed, but he needed to be sure. “Are you okay? What have they done to you?”

“We’re okay,” Jackson said from where he stood near the foot of the bed. “We’ve mostly been with the other kids.”

“The Hydra kids?” Peter asked. 

Molly said, “Yeah. They do year-round school, so they’ve been making us to classes with the Hydra kids. We also have to do after school activities with them like sports and games and stuff.”

“So they just let you out with the other kids?” Peter asked, a little puzzled by what he heard. 

“There’s a lot of guards and agents keeping an eye on us all the time. And everybody is constantly trying to tell us how great Hydra is” Jackson explained. “The only time the three of us are together is when we’re locked in this room at night. They say that once we prove ourselves loyal to Hydra, we’ll get more freedom and our own rooms.” It was apparent he didn’t particularly care for sharing a room with the two girls.

“Have you seen anyone from Team One or Team Three?” Peter asked anxiously. “Do you know if they were captured too?”

All three shook their heads. “I think it was just us,” Zee said quietly. “I think they mostly wanted you.”

Peter didn’t know whether he should feel relieved that the other two teams were probably safe, or if he should feel even more guilty about being the reason his team had been targeted. 

Molly looked at the restraints on Peter’s wrists and ankles. “Can’t you break those?”

Peter looked away, ashamed. “I’m too weak. Between my injuries and the lack of food, I just don’t have the strength.”

The younger girl rushed past Zee and pulled open the bottom drawer of the nightstand. It was full of protein bars, crackers, fruit, and juice boxes. 

“We’ve been sneaking stuff out of the cafeteria,” Molly said proudly. “If you eat all this, will you get strong again?”

Peter looked at the food longingly. His stomach started to rumble in anticipation. “I don’t think I can eat all that yet. But yeah, some food and some sleep will help me get stronger.”

Much to Peter’s embarrassment, he couldn’t feed himself while restrained. Zee laughed at him good-naturedly while she fed him power bars and fruit. Molly helped by enthusiastically shoving juice box straws in his mouth. Jackson watched the door nervously, as if he was afraid Hydra agents would burst in at any time. 

Peter ate five protein bars, two apples, two bananas, and drank four juice boxes. He could have eaten much more, but was afraid to overtax his stomach after not having solid food for so long. The others encouraged him to sleep, but he made them promise to wake him after three hours. With a full belly, on a comfortable bed, and under the watchful eyes of his friends, Peter finally fell into a deep restful sleep. 

—————

Exactly three hours after Peter fell asleep, his teammates woke him, gently shaking his limbs and calling his name. He felt surprisingly good upon waking, refreshed and with more energy than he had in a long time. He smiled up at his friends. 

“Are you strong now?” Molly asked. 

“Let’s see,” he replied hopefully. 

Peter tugged at the cuff on his uninjured left hand. At first, nothing happened. But as he continued to apply slow and steady pressure, the cuff stretched a little and then snapped. The food and the nap had indeed made a world of difference. 

“Yes!” Peter exclaimed triumphantly. The other kids laughed and cheered him on. 

Peter broke the cuff on his injured right hand carefully, but with less difficulty than the first. Then he snapped the cuffs at his feet. He started to stand, but he had been strapped to the table for so many days that his limbs were sore and stiff. The others helped him up. Peter bounced on his feet tentatively for a minute, then nodded at the others. 

Peter looked down at himself. His wounds hadn’t healed at all, but it would take some time for his accelerated healing to kick in. Zee wordlessly handed him a tee shirt. Peter suddenly felt self conscious that he was wearing just his boxer shorts. Despite the fact that he hated the Hydra emblem on the shirt, he pulled it on. 

After a moment, he sat back down in the bed, then open the drawer and pulled out a couple more protein bars. He was getting his strength back, but he would need more food if they were going to pull off an escape. 

“Do you know where we are?” Peter asked the others while he snacked. “Have you been outside or seen out the windows?”

Molly answered, “We’ve only been in a large interior courtyard and all the windows we’ve seen face that.”

“It’s quiet outside,” Zee added. “So it’s not urban. We’re either at the edge of quiet suburbs or in a rural area.” 

Peter took that in. They were going to have to travel on foot, so he hoped they weren’t too far from civilization. 

Peter saw that Jackson looked troubled. He stood up and walked over to the younger boy. “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah. It’s just… it’s weird. The kids here… they’re like regular kids. Like the kids we know,” he said. “They do classwork, they like sports, they play video games. They’re just kids.”

Zee huffed. “Except for all the Hail Hydra stuff,” she pointed out. 

“Well, yeah, but still…” the boy said unsurely. 

Peter was starting to get worried. “Jackson, what’s going on?”

“What I don’t understand is… the adults here are so nice to us,”Jackson told him. “They’re affectionate, not in a creepy way, but in a Mom and Dad sort of way. They seem to really care about us. They’re happy we’re here. And they want us to be happy.” 

“Hydra are the bad guys,” Peter said firmly. 

“I know that. I mean, I know that’s what S.H.I.E.L.D. always told us. But the kids here are happy. The adults are loving. The adults in S.H.I.E.L.D. were never this nice to us.” The boy fought back tears. “It’s just been so long since someone loved me. It’s nice.”

Peter sighed sadly. He knew that Jackson didn’t have the best home life. The twelve year old lived with an older cousin and his wife who weren’t really interested in raising a kid. They weren’t abusive or negligent (S.H.I.E.L.D. would never tolerate that). They just didn’t give Jackson much attention or affection. 

“I know,” Peter tried to sound understanding. “But Hydra killed your father, Jackson. Have you forgotten that? And now you want to join them?”

“I don’t want to join them,” Molly said quietly. “I want to go home. I wanna to go back to my grandma and grandpa. They love me.”

Peter smiled at her gently. Then he turned to the older girl. “What about you, Zee?”

Zee looked at him seriously. “My parents fought and died for S.H.I.E.L.D.. I’m _ their _ Legacy. I’m not turning my back on that.” 

Peter was relieved to hear that. He looked back at the younger boy. “We’re gonna get out of here, Jackson. But it has to be all of us for this to work. Are you with us?”

The boy hesitated. He was confused, torn. 

Peter bit his tongue. He was tempted to yell at Jackson until the kid saw some sense. But Peter knew that wouldn’t be an effective approach. 

Instead, Peter said gently, “Look at me.” He pulled up his shirt to show the mess of wounds on his chest from the whipping and the many surgeries. He held out his mangled right hand. “Does this look like something loving, affectionate adults do? Or do you believe them that I’m a monster, not a kid? Because that’s what they want. They want you to see me as a freak, as something less than human.”

Jackson looked at Peter with horror in his eyes. “You’re not a monster. You’ve been my friend since I first came to Legacy. You’re like a brother to me!” The boy started to cry, “And Hydra killed my Dad. I don’t want to stay here.”

Zee put a comforting arm around Jackson while he cried. 

Peter breathed a sigh of relief. “We’re getting out of here,” he told the team. “And the sooner the better.”

Zee looked at him sharply, “What’s the plan?”

Peter ran a hand through his hair. He had a start of a plan, but not the equipment he needed. “This would be easier if I had my web shooters and some of our other stuff,” he muttered. 

Molly spoke up excitedly, “I know where our stuff is. The backpack with our supplies and your web shooters too. I saw the locked room where the Hydra agent put everything. I can get to it through the vent. I can do it without them catching me.”

Peter looked at her sharply. “Are you sure?” 

“Yes,” the little girl said with certainty. 

“Parker, no. You can’t let her,” Zee protested. “She’s too little. What if she gets hurt? What if she gets caught?”

“I can do it,” Molly insisted. 

Peter felt torn. He was responsible for his team. If any of them were hurt - or worse - that was on him. He had chosen each of them for this mission. It was his fault they were here now. He especially felt protective of Molly. She was so young and this was her first mission. He didn’t want to send her into any more danger than they were already in. 

On the other hand, Peter knew exactly what it was like to have his own abilities and ideas disregarded because he was the youngest and least experienced person on the team. The Avengers often underestimated what he could do and Peter couldn’t stand that. Molly was quick witted in difficult situations and brave. Those were the reasons he had picked her for his team, even though older, more experienced campers had been available. 

Slowly the teen nodded. “Okay, Molly. You get our stuff and get back here as quickly and quietly as you can. Be careful.”

Jackson and Zee both gasped at hearing this. “You’re going to let her go?” Jackson asked in disbelief. 

“She can do it,” Peter said with certainty as he pulled the grating off the vent. He saw how Molly’s confidence was bolstered by his belief in her. She could do it. 

—————-

Despite his confidence in Molly’s abilities, Peter worried the entire time she was gone. _ What if she did get hurt or got caught or something worse happened to her? _ He wondered if this was how Mr. Stark felt when Peter himself was out on patrol. 

While they waited, he had Zee and Jackson tell him everything they knew about the facility they were in and the Hydra agents they had encountered. The two had learned a lot about the building layout and the schedules of the various agents. With that information, Peter’s plan started coming into shape. 

Finally, the little girl reappeared in the vent in the wall. “I got it!” she whispered triumphantly, while Zee helped her out of the vent. “I got all of it!” 

Peter beamed at her proudly. “Great job, Molly! That was fantastic!” She handed him his web shooters and gave Zee the backpack. Peter felt better with his web shooters back on, even though he had to be careful with the one on his right wrist. 

Zee checked the contents of the backpack. “Parker, what about the encryption code? We never got it.” Her voice was troubled. 

Peter sighed heavily. “Yeah, I know. It’s probably still at Base 14B and we can’t go back there. We didn’t get the encryption key and we got captured for real. We failed our mission.” 

The other three fell quiet. It was unheard of for a team to fail the mock mission. 

“What’s gonna happen when S.H.I.E.L.D. finds out we failed?” Jackson asked. 

“Nothing’s going to happen to the three of you,” Peter assured them quickly. “I’m the team leader. Achieving the mission objective was my responsibility. We failed and that’s on me. Whatever the consequences are, they’re on me too.” 

Peter waited until each one nodded, acknowledging what he said. Then he said, “All right, that’s settled. Now everyone get some rest. In a couple of hours, we’re breaking out of here.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all the comments and kudos! They always brighten my day and encourage me in my writing.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and his team make their escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for kids using guns

The room was quiet. Zee, Jackson, and Molly had finally settled into sleep. Peter knew he should be asleep too. He needed the rest to aid his recovery, but his mind was consumed with the plans for their escape. He had to figure out not just how to get them out of the Hydra base, but also how to minimize the chances that Hydra would follow them and recapture them. Then he had to figure out how to get the team somewhere safe. 

From what the four of them had pieced together, Peter was guessing that a significant portion of the base - including the room they were in now - was underground. So they would need to make their way through the upper levels to get out. Along the way, they would need to immobilize the Hydra agents, secure the dormitory, deactivate the security and communication systems, and seal the building. 

Peter loaded his web shooters and tested them. With his right hand shredded, it was painful to activate the shooter on that side and he could feel that the motion pulled on his still-raw wounds. But he could ignore the pain in order to get them out of there. He pulled out the canisters of web fluid from their compartment in the backpack. He had brought both types: the white webs that would dissolve in two hours and the blue webs that would last five days. 

His initial thoughts were to use the blue webs to seal the dormitory and the exterior doors once they got out. He would use the white webs to stop the Hydra agents. But now Peter wasn’t so sure about that plan. What if he couldn’t seal the whole building? What if there were escape tunnels he and the team didn’t know about? What if they weren’t successful in deactivating the security and communication systems? 

In two hours the white webs would dissolve and the Hydra agents would be freed. What if they got out or managed to communicate with another Hydra base? The kids would have only a two hour head start before Hydra would be chasing after them. 

_ It’s not enough time, _ Peter realized, especially when he considered that they didn’t even know what kind of terrain they would find outside. If Zee's hunch was right and they were in a rural area, it might take them two hours just to get to a place where they could find help. In Peter’s weakened condition and the four of them traveling on foot, there was a serious risk that Hydra could recapture them. 

If Hydra did recapture them, Peter had no doubt he would be killed. Pinky would be delighted to have the chance to dissect his brain. And what would happen to his teammates? Sure, Hydra hadn’t physically hurt them so far. But Peter wondered if the agents would punish the kids for trying to escape. Certainly they must have some kind of zero-tolerance policy about that. And they would spend years locked away here being brainwashed by Hydra. He couldn’t even guess what the outcome of that would be. Would the kids resist and eventually be killed? Would they become loyal to Hydra and then be enemies of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers? For his young teammates, recapture would mean the end of life as they knew it. 

The only way to avoid recapture was to use the blue webs - the five day webs. A five day head start would give them enough time to get away and he could get the kids to safety. But Peter had never intended to use the blue webs in people, even the bad guys. Anyone he webbed up wouldn’t be able to move for five days. They wouldn’t be able to reach food or water. Peter knew a person could probably live without food that long, but he was pretty certain they could die of dehydration. 

If he used the blue webs, he would be leaving them to die. He would be killing them. And Peter didn’t kill. His webs were supposed to be a nonlethal weapon. 

He thought about what Mr. Stark had said:  _ Kid, if it’s a matter of saving your life or the lives of the team or of innocent civilians, use the blue webs if you need to. Please.  _

Peter had agreed to that. Even so, if it were just a matter of his own life he might risk it - use the white webs and run as fast as he could with the two hour head start. However it wasn’t just himself at stake here. He needed to think about his teammates. He couldn’t risk their lives anymore than he had to. That meant using the blue webs. 

Peter promised himself that once they were safe, once they reached a S.H.I.E.L.D. location they could trust, he would send someone to make sure everyone got food and fluids. Maybe if he could send someone fast enough, he wouldn’t be a killer. 

Peter twisted his wrists just a bit and the subtle movement loaded the blue cartridges into his web shooters. He put several more cartridges in his pants pockets - he was going to need them. 

——————

Hours later the three younger kids pretended to be asleep in their bunks, while Peter hid in a dark corner of the ceiling. The door opened and two men entered the room. It was time for the morning wake up call. 

“Come on,” the one whispered impatiently from where he stood in the doorway. “Just wake them up and let's get on with it.”

“Hold on,” the other whispered back as he crept further into the room. “Don’t you want to get a look at the spider-child? Maybe slap him around a little or something? I hear they’re gonna cut his brains open, so it’s your only chance.”

The first one considered, then fully stepped into the room and closed the door firmly behind him. “When you put it that way, it does sound like fun.”

Once they were close to Peter’s bunk, the teen sprang into action. He leapt off the ceiling and flicked his wrists. Both agents were webbed to the floor, their arms and legs secured by a thick layer of blue webs. 

The others jumped out of their bunks. Jackson grabbed the agents’ access cards, which the kids would need to access the other levels. Zee shouldered the backpack with their supplies. Then she took the Hydra agents’ guns from their holsters. She kept one and handed the other to Jackson. 

Peter frowned. He hated guns. But he had his web shooters and he recognized that the other kids needed a way to defend themselves. They were all skilled at shooting, thanks to the training at Camp Legacy.

“Don’t shoot to kill, unless you absolutely have to,” Peter told the others. 

“Are they really planning to cut your brain out?” Jackson asked, horrified. Peter could only nod wordlessly, not wanting to think too much about it. 

Jackson’s voice was almost a sob, “I thought they were so nice to us…” 

“Shush! We need to get moving!” Peter reprimanded in a whisper. There would be time for regrets later. 

The level they were on consisted entirely of the dormitory and classrooms. As far as they could tell, all the other kids were just starting to wake up. Peter was grateful for that; he had dreaded the idea of having to fight any of the Hydra kids. He sealed the elevator doors shut and the team quickly headed to the stairwell. 

Once there, Peter asked his teammates, “You're sure that if I seal this, will the kids still have access to food and water?” 

“Yes,” Zee told him, her voice low and rushed. “There’s plenty of food and stuff in the cafeteria. They’ll be fine.”

With that reassurance, Peter sprayed the blue webs across the door. The Hydra children were locked into their dormitory, but at least they wouldn’t die of hunger and thirst. 

The four made their way up to the next level. That level included the medical labs, where Peter had undergone his various tests and procedures. He almost gagged at the sight of room where he had been experimented on. It was empty, but evidence of his suffering could be seen by the blood splattered on the walls and the floor. Zee found a supply cabinet. She grabbed a bunch of gauze bandages and first aid tape and shoved them in their backpack. 

The level was quiet at this hour and for a moment, Peter thought no one was there. Then, they heard voices, which he immediately recognized as Pinky and Clyde. 

“I want to get an early start today,” Pinky said, “There’s lots to do now that we have permission to go forward. I want to run the sensory tests on the spider-child again before we remove his brain.”

“Sure thing, Doc. I’ll get the equipment ready,” Clyde replied. 

Peter felt sick. They actually were getting ready to dissect his brain. If they didn’t get out of there, he was going to die today. Jackson and Zee looked away in disgust, but Molly stared up at him with wide eyes. It looked like the little girl was about to cry. 

Peter’s spider sense flared. Quickly, he put a hand over Molly’s mouth and shushed her. They heard footsteps approaching. Peter pushed the other kids behind him before he advanced forward a few steps. 

Pinky and Clyde came around the corner and startled at seeing the children. Peter stood in the middle of the corridor with his web shooters poised and ready to fire. Behind him, Jackson and Zee pointed their guns at the pair of agents. 

Pinky recovered quickly. She smirked, obviously not considering the kids to be any real threat. “What are you doing here, spider-child? Are you so eager to start our work today you just couldn’t wait?” Her demeanor with him was almost playful. 

“You can’t have my brain. I’m not done with it yet,” Peter told her flippantly. 

Pinky smirked at him. “We’ll see about that.” Then she looked at the other kids. “What are you children doing out of the dormitory? And playing with guns?” she demanded harshly. “Hydra doesn’t like to punish children, but we cannot tolerate breaking rules like this. You three run back to your room now and maybe I won’t report this.”

Clyde moved towards the children, but Peter reacted quickly. Before anyone could blink, Clyde and Pinky were both stuck to the wall with dark blue webs. 

For a split second, Pinky almost looked impressed. Then she seemed to realize what was happening. “You don’t actually think you’re going to get away from here? You’re not getting out of here. You’re mine, you little freak, and I’m going to enjoy cutting you into little pieces to see how you work.” She was practically screaming at him. 

After all the torture he had suffered at the hands of the Hydra doctor, something in Peter snapped. He grabbed Clyde’s pistol and aimed it right at the woman’s head. 

Peter hated guns, but he knew how to use them. In fact, he was a S.H.I.E.L.D. trained marksman. But he had only shot targets, never a living creature. And now, he willfully aimed the gun at Pinky’s head. The temptation to pull the trigger was strong. 

Pinky stared him down. “Go ahead. Or don’t you have the guts to do it?” she taunted him. 

The thunderous sound of feet alerted them to more Hydra agents running toward them. Peter stayed focused on the doctor. 

“Parker?” Zee drew his attention back to his team. 

The teen slowly lowered the gun, then handed it to Molly. 

“Weak,” Pinky said derisively. 

Peter webbed her mouth shut in retaliation. Then he turned to face the oncoming agents. Peter shot his webs and the other kids shot their guns. The agents hadn’t expected the children to be armed, so they were unprepared for the fight. Once the agents were down, the kids collected the weapons from each one. 

The foursome rapidly made their way to the next level, which included the communications and security systems. Peter, with his stealth, was able to take many of the Hydra agents by surprise and web them up. Then, the alarms sounded and reinforcements came running in. However, the Hydra agents were hesitant to shoot at children, giving the Legacy kids a strong advantage. 

The four children allowed their S.H.I.E.L.D. training to take over, fighting in a coordinated effort. They moved fluidly around each other and against their enemies. Peter trusted his skills and his spider sense as he called out orders and his team followed them. Despite the chaos of the situation, they remained calm and focused. Eventually, every one of the Hydra agents was incapacitated: shot, webbed up or both. Many were unconscious, but all of them were alive. Even the Commandant himself had been shot in the leg before he was webbed to the floor. 

While Jackson and Molly collected the weapons off the Hydra agents, Peter and Zee worked on the security and communication systems. They were able to hack into the systems with little difficulty, disabling them. They didn’t erase any data or surveillance footage, knowing that S.H.I.E.L.D. would need to see what had been going on. 

With those tasks done, Peter hurried the team outside. He covered the outer door with the blue webs, effectively locking everyone inside. He felt guilty and sincerely hoped that he wasn’t sealing them into a tomb. Then he used his strength to crush all the guns the kids had collected from the agents. They piled up the broken weapons and Peter shot a layer of webs over them. 

“Is everyone alright? Anyone hurt?” Peter asked his teammates with concern. The others confirmed that they all had some minor scrapes and bruises, but otherwise they were unharmed. 

“You’re bleeding,” Molly said to Peter. 

He looked at his injured right hand. The effort of continuously using the web shooter had further damaged the torn muscles. The healing blood vessels had been ripped open again and blood dripped from all his fingers and his palm. His hand was even more of a mess than before and now that he thought about it, the pain started to register with him. The surgical wounds on his chest had also reopened. He didn’t look at them, but the blood seeping into his tee shirt was evidence. 

“I’ll heal,” Peter assured the little girl. Molly gave a small smile and nodded. But Zee frowned as she looked at him. It looked like she was about to say something when Peter shot her a look and shook his head. Zee shut her mouth and looked away. 

Finally, they had a chance to look around. The kids found themselves outside a plain gray building surrounded by woods.

“Hey, look at this!” Jackson called out in a whisper-yell. He was pointing at a sign in front of the building. The others ran over to see it. 

EAST CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY 

FORESTRY RESEARCH STATION 3

AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY

“We’re at a university?” Zee asked incredulously. 

Peter’s mind raced frantically. Were the Hydra agents university employees? How far did it go? Was it just the research station that was Hydra? Or the whole academic department? Could the whole university be under Hydra’s control? What about the surrounding area?

The team cautiously moved down the long driveway leading away from the research station. They looked in both directions. The morning light was just bright enough for them all to see down the road. Going one way the road narrowed, leading deep into the woods. Looking in the other direction, they could see buildings and the edge of a sprawling campus. 

Instinct told Peter that going into the woods would not help them. There was no help in that direction and no way to safety. He knew they had to head towards the campus, even if they were uncertain of Hydra’s control there. If they could get across campus, they would probably find an adjacent college town. They had the emergency money Director Fury had provided. It wasn’t a lot, but a college town was bound to have resources that could be used by young people with limited funds. It was their best hope. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not really thrilled with this chapter. I struggle with writing action scenes and I think it shows. So if the escape seems too easy, that’s a fault of my writing ability. (Or we could just go with an in story explanation that the Legacy kids are just that good and Hydra’s a little incompetent!) 
> 
> The next chapter should be a little more fun and will have interesting interactions between the team as they figure out what to do next. I hope to get that one finished without too much delay.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and his team need to figure out what to do next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In some of the comments on previous chapters, a few people wondered if the kids would escape or be rescued. It was always my plan to have them escape. I do enjoy a good “Tony saves Peter” story and I have nothing against those. But I do find it particularly thrilling when Peter saves himself and others.

The four kids wandered their way through the campus cautiously. Even though it was summer session and still fairly early in the day, there was a fair amount of activity going on. Students taking summer classes rushed between the buildings. Athletes hurried to morning practice. 

The kids ducked into one of the academic buildings. Zee pulled them all into a unisex bathroom. Opening the backpack, she grabbed the supplies she had pilfered from the medical lab. She told Peter to take off his shirt. 

The teen’s torso was littered with lacerations and angry red welts from the whipping the Commandant had given him. Then there were the deeper surgical incisions from Pinky’s work. Although they were stitched closed, they weren’t healing and oozed bloodily. His right hand was a mess of torn and bloody tissues. Jackson and Molly looked away, frightened by the sight of his injuries. 

Zee wasn’t sure what to do. They didn’t have enough gauze bandages to cover Peter’s whole torso. And there was no way to tape gauze pads over the surgical scars without irritating his other wounds. Peter considered just webbing them up. But he had used a lot of web fluid up at the base and he wanted to save the rest in case they had another run in with Hydra. 

They settled on just washing the wounds they best they could and wrapping up his hand. Even that was easier said than done. The pink bathroom soap stung like hell. Then Peter hissed in pain while Zee dried his wounds with the rough paper towels. 

The girl rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t be such a baby, Parker,” she scolded. 

“A baby!” Peter replied in disbelief. “After everything, you’re calling me a baby?” 

“Quit moving around and let me get this wrapped up!” Zee said impatiently as she worked on his hand. 

Peter huffed, but tried to keep still. Now that they were away from the base, he could feel the adrenaline rush ebbing away, making him feel worn out and a little irritable. He knew the others must be feeling the same way. He could see it in their faces. Unfortunately, they weren’t safe yet and couldn’t let their guard down. He was considering their options and starting to formulate a plan. But they would all need to stay on alert for the foreseeable future. 

“Hey, you all did great back there,” Peter started and waited until they looked at him. “I mean it. That was really hard and you guys were amazing. I’m so proud of all of you. I know we’re all tired. But we’re not through this yet. So we all need to hang on for a while more. Okay?”

The others smiled at his praise and nodded in agreement. Even so, Peter thought that the pep talk probably would have gone better if he hadn’t been wincing while Zee attempted to wrap his hand. Peter appreciated her efforts, even if the quality of the results was questionable. 

They walked through the building and found a small student information center. It had pamphlets about various campus organizations and services. More importantly, there were printed maps of the campus and the local area. The kids discovered that they were in east central Indiana. 

After studying the maps, they found their way to the other edge of the campus. A wide boulevard separated the campus from East Central City. 

The city was also just coming into its morning activities. Shops and cafes were opening. No one gave much attention to the four kids as they walked down the sidewalk. 

“Where are we going? I’m hungry,” Molly asked. 

“We’re going to find a place to eat,” Peter assured her. Then he spotted a thrift store down the street. “But first, some shopping!” He tried to sound enthusiastic. 

The place had just opened for the day and there were only a couple other people in the store. Behind the counter was a young college student who was obviously more interested in her book than her customers. 

“Everyone pick out new clothes. Something cheap and plain, but in decent condition,” Peter directed his team. 

Zee was not happy. “Really? You expect us to wear someone else’s used clothes?” she huffed. “We passed a campus spirit shop. We could have gotten something new… and nice.” 

“And it would have cost most of our cash. We don’t need to be advertising that we’ve been on this campus. Old clothes will blend in,” Peter told her impatiently. 

Most of his own clothes came from thrift stores, so he didn’t see what the problem was. At least Molly and Jackson didn’t seem to mind and looked like they were actually enjoying the impromptu shopping. 

Peter went to pick out some things from the men’s racks. He found a plain tee shirt and soft, well worn jeans, as well as a lightweight flannel shirt. The long sleeves would hide the cuts and bruises on his arms as well as cover his web shooters. Additionally, he picked out baseball caps for everyone. 

“No way,” Zee protested when she saw them. “I’m not wearing somebody’s old hat.”

“You’ll wear it. There are cameras everywhere.” 

“But that’s so gross. There’s probably head germs all over it.” 

“In a couple of years you’ll be team leader and you can make all the decisions. But right now, I’m in charge and I’m saying you will wear the damn hat.”

“Fine,” Zee said in a way that meant it was not at all fine. 

Peter took their clothes and the hats to the cash register. Zee added a large scarf to the pile on the counter. 

“What do you need that for?” Peter asked irritably while the store clerk rang everything up. 

Zee shrugged. “We need it.” 

“Fine,” Peter muttered. 

The young clerk chucked at them. Peter looked at her sharply. 

“Sorry,” the clerk said without any embarrassment. “It’s just that you and your sister fight like my brother and I do.” 

Peter smirked a little at the assumption that they were siblings and handed over the money. “Do you mind if we change in the fitting room?” 

The clerk shrugged. “Whatever.” She went back to reading her book. 

One by one they changed into the newly purchased clothes and hats. Once they left the store, Peter tossed the clothes they had been wearing into a dumpster. 

Zee had fashioned the large scarf into a sling. She slipped it over Peter’s head and then gently set his injured right hand in it. She gave him a half-apologetic smile. Peter adjusted the sling so his hand settled against his chest and whispered his thanks.

———————

They found a small diner nearby. It was almost empty and the few customers that were there barely glanced at the kids. They sat at a table in the back, where Peter could watch the door. 

The waitress didn’t seem to think that it was odd that they were younger than the usual patrons. “Are you kids here for a campus visit?” she asked in a friendly, if somewhat disinterested voice. 

“Yeah, just taking a look around. Seeing the campus,” Peter agreed quickly. 

The waitress gave a small smile in response and took their orders. The breakfast meals were cheap, but included a lot of food. Once the food arrived, they all dug in enthusiastically. But then Molly suddenly pushed her plate away half-eaten and looked like she was about to cry. 

“What’s wrong?” Zee asked the younger girl. 

Molly stared at her own hands. “We shot those people,” she whispered mournfully. Luckily the nearby tables were empty and no one heard her. “I know they were bad guys, but we really shot them.”

The others stopped eating as well. Zee and Jackson’s faces fell as they too were hit by the reality of what they had done. 

Peter was quick to reassure them, despite his own feelings of guilt. “We did what we had to do. They were Hydra. They were hurting us and we had to get away. There wasn’t another choice.”

“Yeah, but it still feels wrong,” Jackson said quietly. 

Peter nodded, understanding. 

“Are they going to be okay?” Molly asked. 

“Sure they are. As soon as we get somewhere safe, we’re gonna send S.H.I.E.L.D. to help them.” Peter said with false brightness. Zee shot him a doubtful look, but he ignored it. “They’re going to be just fine,” Peter added. 

However, Peter’s conscience was screaming at him:  _ Liar! They’re all going to be dead. You webbed them up for five days. They’re going to die of hunger and thirst. You murdered them! _

Peter tried to push those thoughts away. “Everyone finish your breakfast,” he said encouragingly. Slowly, they all picked up their forks and resumed eating, albeit with less enthusiasm. 

“So what do we do now?” Jackson asked after a while. “Should we call someone?”

Peter knew that calling someone was the logical thing to do. It was the sensible thing to do. He should call Mr. Stark or Happy or May. Well, not May because she might not know that they had been missing and he didn’t want to upset her. But he should definitely call Mr. Stark or Happy. They would come on a jet and get the kids immediately. 

The problem was that every time he even thought about calling them - or anyone else - his spider sense throbbed against his skull. He couldn’t figure out why. Maybe his sense wasn’t working right. Maybe it was a side effect of Pinky’s tests. Maybe he was over sensitive after the whole ordeal. Or maybe there was a real danger in calling them. He couldn’t just ignore the warning this time. 

“I don’t think so,” he answered in a low voice. “The idea of calling anyone sets off my spider sense. I don’t know why. Maybe Hydra’s monitoring all the communications.”

“Should we try to get back to camp?” Molly asked. 

Peter shook his head. “No. There were Hydra agents at camp. It isn’t safe to go back there.” There was no way his spider sense was going to let them go near the camp. 

“What about another S.H.I.E.L.D. base? There are a couple not too far from here,” Zee suggested. As Legacy assets, they all had been required to memorize the locations of S.H.I.E.L.D. bases. 

“We don’t have any way of knowing which bases have been taken over by Hydra like base 14B was.” Peter sighed, again just the thought of it set his danger sense on edge. “There’s only one S.H.I.E.L.D. facility that I know for sure isn’t controlled by Hydra.” 

“Where’s that?” 

“The Avengers Compound.” 

The other three were stunned. “You want us to go to the Avengers Compound?” Zee asked incredulously. Jackson and Molly looked excited by the idea. 

“Yeah.”

“Parker, are you nuts? We can’t just walk into the Avengers Compound.”

“Sure we can. I have access.”

“How do you plan to get there? The Compound is in upstate New York. We’re in Indiana!” 

“Easy,” Peter pulled the city map from his pocket and pointed to a location. “There’s a bus station a few blocks from here.”

Zee made a face. Obviously she disliked the idea of taking the bus as much as she disliked wearing second hand clothes. But at least she didn’t argue about it. 

After a moment, Peter sighed heavily. He looked at the others and said quietly. “I know it sounds paranoid, refusing to call anyone and planning a bus trip across several states. I don’t know why, but going to the Compound is the only option that doesn’t make my spider sense go crazy. I ignored it before the mission and look at what happened. I can’t ignore it now.” 

Zee considered that. “Yeah. You’re being paranoid. But that doesn’t mean you’re wrong. We’ll do whatever you think is best, Team Leader.”

Jackson and Molly nodded in agreement. 

“Do we need a cover story?” Jackson asked. He sounded a little more excited than he should have been. 

Peter thought about that. “That store clerk thought you and I were brother and sister,” he said to Zee. “I think we should go with that. We’re just brothers and sisters traveling to visit our… uncle or something.”

“You’re going to pass us off as siblings? The four of us?” Zee asked incredulously. 

He understood the point she was making. Like Peter, Zee was of European descent. Their features were similar enough that strangers would easily accept them as siblings. Jackson was mixed race and Molly was Hispanic, making family ties seem less likely. 

Peter simply shrugged. “Half-siblings then. If anyone says anything, we’ll just tell them our mom got around.”

Zee rolled her eyes and Jackson scrunched up his face. Molly just looked at Peter with wide-eyes and he wasn’t sure if she had understood the implication. 

It wasn’t a big deal to him. He knew several families in New York where the kids were different races. He said to the others, “How we look is less important than how we act together. Besides, you’re all like little sibs to me anyway.” 

Molly scooted closer to Peter and leaned against him affectionately. Peter smiled down at her. Then she wiped her face on his shirt. 

Peter sighed and used a napkin to clumsily swipe at the crumbs she left on him. “Really annoying little sibs,” he muttered. 

————————

They took a regional bus to a larger city nearby. There Peter was able to buy tickets for the Greyhound service. Luckily, his S.H.I.E.L.D. issued fake ID listed him as eighteen, so he was able to buy the tickets without too much hassle. The trip cost most of their remaining cash, with some left over to buy snacks and meals along the way. 

Their itinerary showed that it would take them thirty hours to get from Indiana to the small New York town closest to the Compound. There were several layovers when the bus would stop for servicing and everyone had to get off. There were other stops where they had to transfer to a different bus. They found that most of these layovers and transfers involved delays, making their trip even longer. 

The bus ride was miserable. The bus was loud with the noise of the engines and the other passengers. It reeked of sweat and body odor and the smells that escaped the bathroom when the door opened. It was cold, the air conditioning cranked up to an almost intolerable level. Peter’s senses felt raw and on edge. 

The worst part was the boredom. For four kids who were used to having electronic devices to pass the time, the long hours on the bus and stopped at the stations were extremely difficult. At one point they even bought a crossword puzzle book and passed it back and forth for a while. But the four genius children solved all the puzzles without much of a challenge. 

The stress of what they had been through, the boredom, and the constant togetherness wore on everyone’s nerves. Jackson and Molly bickered over petty issues, like whose turn it was to sit by the window and who was taking up too much space on their shared seat. Zee had a running commentary going about their fellow passengers until Peter couldn’t stand it anymore and snapped at her to shut up. The one good thing about their squabbling was that no one would doubt their claim of being brothers and sisters. 

Peter encouraged the others to sleep as much as they could. They needed the rest and it would make the time go by faster. They all dozed on and off, although Peter himself got very little sleep. Instead, he needed to stay alert and watch for anyone who might have ill-intentions towards the group of kids. The few times he did sleep - and Zee kept watch - he had terrible nightmares. So mostly he stayed awake, despite his weariness. 

Peter’s heart was heavy. He just wanted the mission to be over. He thought about all the times he had wanted to go on a mission with the Avengers, all the times he had begged to go. He thought about all the times he had resented them benching him because of his youth and inexperience. He had been so excited to be team leader on the mock mission and show off what he could do. He had wanted to make Mr. Stark and the other Avengers proud of him. 

But his first mission as leader had been a failure. He hadn’t achieved the mission objective and his team had been captured by the enemy. Peter himself had been tortured and the others had endured attempted brainwashing. They had been forced to shoot people and leave them to die. Peter was pretty sure these experiences were going to haunt all of them for a while. It was his own fault his teammates had to deal with that trauma. Additionally, Peter knew that he still had to face the Disciplinary Committee when it reconvened. Certainly these failures would not be overlooked in that preceding. 

Peter really wanted to turn the team over to a responsible adult. He wanted someone else to be in charge. He wanted to just be a kid again. He wanted to watch movies and eat junk food. He wanted to build gadgets from stuff he found dumpster diving. He wanted to be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, finding lost pets and dealing with low-level crime. He had his fill of serious missions for quite some time.

———————-

Activity at the Avengers Compound seemed to be at an all time high. The revelation that Hydra was still active within S.H.I.E.L.D. had effects beyond just looking for the missing children. 

All S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had undergone intense scrutiny, background checks were redone and every agent was interviewed extensively. Most of the agents were clean, but a few hidden Hydra agents were found. They were in the Compound’s holding facility undergoing intense interrogation. But so far, there had been no new information about the kids. 

They did learn a lot about how Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. in general. And they discovered much about Hydra’s interest in Project Legacy. That information, combined with what Tony had found in the Upset the Applecart files, meant that very soon S.H.I.E.L.D. would be forced to shut the project down. 

Tony kept himself busy in the workshop. He realized that since S.H.I.E.L.D. had reprogrammed Karen, Hydra might have as well. And through her, Hydra could even have gotten access to FRIDAY. This led him to taking another look at both AIs’ programming. 

Karen was still dormant in the isolated server. Tony had taken the drastic step of shutting FRIDAY down completely so he could examine each section of her code. It was a painstakingly slow process. He missed her. He had gotten so used to having an AI manage all the things in his life that he had to learn tasks all over again. Plus he missed just talking to her. Without FRIDAY and without the Kid, the workshop was a lonely, quiet place. 

He tried not to think about Peter in the clutches of Hydra and what the boy might be going through. He tried not to think about everything he knew regarding torture techniques. He tried not to think about the fact that they hadn’t gotten any new leads in days. He tried not to drive himself mad with those thoughts - and he often failed. 

The quiet was broken when Rhodes ran into the workshop. “Hey, Tony,” he called out, “Cap’s calling for everyone to come to the conference room.”

Tony looked up from his work. “Is there news?” He wanted to hope, but was so scared of being disappointed again. 

Rhodes studied his friend. He looked terrible. His clothes were rumpled and his eyes were bloodshot from staring at screens for so long. The man hadn’t slept in days. He only ate because the others forced him to take a break and grab some food. 

“Let’s go find out,” Rhodes said encouragingly, as he led Tony out. 

The conference room was a buzz with excited conversions. Once everyone was assembled, Cap quickly called them to order. 

“Quiet down! We’ve got some news. Our latest interrogations gave us some new information. There’s a Hydra base hidden at a university in Indiana. The agent claims it’s a school for Hydra’s children and he’s certain that’s where the S.H.I.E.L.D. children are being held.”

A map of the campus was projected in the front of the room. A building labeled Forestry Research Station 3 was circled in red. 

Nat took over the briefing at that point, outlining how they would approach the base and what to look for once they got inside. 

“You really think this is it? This is the right base?” Tony asked anxiously. Hope and dread mixed in his stomach. 

Cap nodded confidently. “Yes. This is it. Everyone suit up! Then get to the quinjet. We’re wheels up in ten minutes and then we’re bringing those kids home.”

A short time later the team was aboard the quinjet and on their way to the Hydra base. They were fully ready for a battle. Each of them hoped to find the missing children there. 

————————

Finally, the bus reached the small town that was closest to the Compound. Peter and his team disembarked, stumbling clumsily off the bus after their long journey. Thankfully, it was a pleasant day, not too hot and with a comfortable breeze. From that point, the kids would have to walk to the Compound. In just a few more hours, they would be safe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> East Central State University and East Central City are entirely fictional. However, they are based on campuses and college towns I’ve visited in the Midwest. Greyhound is real, but I make no claims on the accuracy of the portrayal here. The team’s experience may or may not be representative of real trips. 
> 
> Coming up in the next chapter: The Avengers arrive at the Hydra base planning to rescue the kids and are shocked by what they find instead. Meanwhile, Peter and his team reach the Compound and run into the wrong group of people.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers arrive at the Hydra base planning to rescue the kids and are shocked by what they find instead. Meanwhile, Peter and his team reach the Compound and run into the wrong group of people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long time between updates. Real life had some unexpected events that took priority. Additionally, I’ve been trying to take my time in developing this story and not rush it too much. I hope that makes for better writing and a better story overall. I appreciate all the comments and kudos, they are very encouraging.

Cooper and Lila abandoned the remains of their lunch and ran to the window to watch the quinjet take off. Nathaniel quickly followed them, then pressed his little face against the glass to see the jet.

The children bombarded their mother with questions: 

“Is Dad on that?”

“Are the other Avengers on it too?” 

“Is Dad flying it?”

“Did you see how fast it took off?”

“Where are they going?”

Laura Barton sighed. “Yes, Dad’s on it, along with the rest of the team. He’s probably the one piloting. Either him or Aunt Nat.”

Cooper turned away from the window once the quintet flew out of sight. “Where are they going?” he asked again. 

“They have a mission,” Laura said simply. 

“What’s the mission? Is it about those missing kids?” Cooper asked excitedly. 

Laura gave him a look of severe disapproval. Usually her kids knew better than to ask about their father’s missions.

Laura and Clint worked hard to protect the children from their father’s work, including the current crisis. But being at the Compound and around all the Avengers, the kids had learned more than they should have. Cooper and Lila had managed to sneak around and eavesdrop on conversations they should never have heard. Those two were turning out to be damn good ametuer spies. Laura vaguely wondered if it was in their blood or if Aunt Nat had been giving them lessons. 

“What do you know about those kids?” She questioned them. 

“That some S.H.I.E.L.D. kids were snatched by Hydra,” Cooper replied with a shrug. 

“And Iron Man has been pretty upset about it,” Lila added. 

“All the Avengers are upset about it,” Cooper countered. Then after a moment of thought he conceded, “but Iron Man has been really sad lately.”

Lila nodded, “Hydra took his kid.” She said with certainty. 

Cooper wasn’t so sure. “I don’t think he’s really Iron Man’s kid. I heard those kids were all S.H.I.E.L.D. orphans.”

“What’s a S.H.I.E.L.D. orphan?” Nate asked. 

Before Cooper could respond, Laura firmly said, “Okay, that’s enough. You kids know you’re not supposed to ask about Dad’s missions. I don’t want to hear any more talk about this from any of you. Is that clear?”

The children reluctantly nodded their agreement. 

“If you’ve finished your lunch, clean up the table and then go outside and play,” Laura instructed them. 

“Can we watch a movie?” Lila asked hopefully as she carried dishes to the sink. The children were enthralled by the huge library of movies at the Compound. 

“Maybe later. Right now it’s beautiful out. Go outside and play.” 

She felt comfortable sending her children outside alone. The Compound was secure, even with FRIDAY shut down for diagnostics. Clint had assured her of that. Nat had assured her of it. Even Tony had gone out of his way to let Laura know that her children were safe here. He didn’t want her to worry. That was when she had seen his pain and truly realized how much the missing boy meant to the billionaire. 

Because the children were safe, Laura thought she might indulge in a movie while the kids were playing outside. It might keep her from worrying about Clint and the others. The kids wouldn’t have to know. 

————————-

The jet ride to the Hydra base was nerve wracking for Tony. Steve and Nat were sure it was the right base this time and Tony could only hope they were right. 

Tony wanted nothing more than to find Peter completely safe and unharmed. But he knows the Kid has been in Hydra’s clutches too long for that to be a realistic hope. There was no doubt in his mind that Peter had been hurt, maybe severely. All he could hope for was that they would find the Kid alive and whatever injuries or damage he had suffered could be fixed. The possibilities of finding the Kid dead or not finding him at all were more than Tony could bear. 

The man forced himself to just focus on finding his protégé and then fixing him. It was all he could think about: _ Find Peter. Find Peter alive. Get Peter to safety. Fix Peter’s injuries. _

“That’s it,” Nat’s voice cut through his thoughts. The Hydra base was coming up into view. It was located in the middle of a wooded area, just west of the main campus. The team observed it on the quinjet’s screens while maintaining their distance. The structure was relatively small, leading them to suspect that the majority of the base was underground. There was one main entrance and no exterior windows. They could see a glass-roofed interior courtyard in the center of the building. 

Clint worked the camera controls and zoomed in on the entrance. “What the hell? Tony, what do you make of this?”

Tony looked at the screen, as did the rest of the team. The door appeared to be covered with a blue fibrous substance, which he recognized immediately. 

“Spider webs,” Tony said with surprise. “But how?”

No one could answer him. 

They set the jet down in a clearing and the team quickly made their way with practiced caution. When they reached the entrance, Tony and Steve studied the webbing on the door carefully. 

“They’re definitely Peter’s,” Tony said in a confused tone.

“There’s more here,” Rhodes called from a short distance away. “It looks like somebody webbed up a bunch of broken guns.”

“That’s something the Kid would do,” Tony remarked. The situation was getting more and more puzzling. 

Steve nodded towards the webbed door. “Let’s open it up and see what we’re dealing with.” 

Once inside, the first thing they noticed was the stench. The air was heavy with the unpleasant smells of blood, sweat, vomit, and human waste. 

The Avengers carefully walked through the halls. The place was like a house of horrors. Hydra agents were secured to the walls and the floor by the blue webs. Judging by the medium blue color of the webs, Tony guessed it had been almost two days since whatever had happened there. The Hydra agents had been trapped in the webs long enough that many of them had soiled themselves. Several of them had thrown up on themselves. Some had been shot - not fatally, but their wounds showed evidence of skilled marksmanship. Many were unconscious. Those who were awake seemed to be in agony. A few had committed suicide using the cyanide tooth issued to all Hydra agents. 

“What the hell happened here?” Rhodes wondered aloud for all of them. He put in a call for S.H.I.E.L.D. backup, including a medical unit.

They reached a room full of security computers and surveillance monitors. The computers had been hacked and were inoperable. Much of the equipment had been physically destroyed. 

Tony turned to Vision. “Can you…?” He gestured to the equipment. Without FRIDAY, his suit had only rudimentary computer controls - nothing that could interface with the system here. 

Vision nodded. He put a hand on the mashed equipment and seemed to concentrate for a moment. A projector in the ceiling sprang to life and started broadcasting images onto the wall. 

The footage documented the battle that had taken place. They saw Peter and his team attack the Hydra agents with webs and with guns. The kids had the element of surprise and fought in a coordinated effort. It was obvious the Hydra agents were unprepared to fight against the children and that was their downfall. The Avengers were impressed by how well Peter commanded his team while carefully webbing up his opponents. And they were shocked by the sight of such young children shooting with precision. Peter instructed the team to incapacitate everyone without killing them. And that’s exactly what they did. 

“I think we’ve been going too easy on him in training,” Sam remarked drily. 

“Four kids did all this?” Steve sounded awestruck. 

“Four S.H.I.E.L.D. trained child soldiers. And one of them is a teenage vigilante,” Clint clarified, his tone clearly showed his disapproval. 

The super spy turned to Tony and said, “S.H.I.E.L.D. is gonna love seeing this. It’ll justify everything they’ve done to those kids.”

Tony didn’t want to think about that. There was only one overwhelming thought on his mind. “The concern right now is where’s my kid? And the other kids?”

They broke out into teams to cover the base. Just as Tony and Clint were about to leave the surveillance room, Vision spoke up. “Sir, there’s something more you should see.”

The men turned back and Tony gave the Android a nod. The image on the wall changed. 

The new image was of Peter in a medical laboratory. He was strapped to a table while a female doctor cut into his chest and abdomen. Previous incisions could be seen, some stitched up and others open. He was screaming in pain. Tony could see that the Kid’s hand was a raw bloody mess. 

The image changed again. Peter was still strapped to the table, but was now in an upright position. He was being severely whipped by a Hydra agent while a roomful of children yelled and jeered at him. 

Clint looked away, unable to bear the sight after a few minutes. Tony, on the other hand, couldn’t tear his eyes away. He watched in horror while his kid was tortured and abused. His heart clenched and threatened to stop altogether. It was unbearable. 

Finally, the images stopped. Tony swallowed thickly. “Send it all to Cho,” he commanded Vision, raggedly. His breathing was uneven. 

“Tony, you need to calm down,” Rhodes said through the comms. Tony fought to steady his breathing 

Finally, Tony and Clint walked out of the room and began investigating the rest of the base. They had been the footage of the battle, but seeing the results in front of them was still shocking. 

The condition of the Hydra agents was truly horrific. But Tony realized it was also a testimony to Peter’s idealism and his beliefs that life was preferable to death, that anyone could be redeemed, and that everyone deserves a second chance. That’s why he had insisted on leaving everyone alive. 

In Peter’s youth and naivety, he did not realize that some circumstances could be worse than death. In his inexperience, he simply did not know that even non lethal gunshot wounds could have serious complications if left untreated. This was especially true when the victim was immobile without food and water. Some of the Hydra agents suffered from shock from blood loss, others from infection. Some had bone and tissue damage that would require amputation. Peter had intended to leave them all alive. And he had, but he had also left them in their own terrible hell. 

“Where’s Peter? And the rest of his team?” Tony asked into the comms. He tried to keep the desperation out of his voice. 

“They’re not here Tony,” Nat’s voice came through. “The door was sealed from the outside.”

“Maybe we should check the woods. They could be hiding there,” Wanda suggested. 

That didn’t make any sense to Tony. Why would Peter hide in the woods instead of contacting the Avengers?

Rhodes spoke over the comms, “I’m down here at the lowest level. The doors are sealed with webbing, but I’m reading about fifty heat signatures in the space. And they’re moving around.”

“More Hydra agents?” Steve asked. 

“Probably the Hydra kids,” Bucky informed them. 

“Leave them locked in until S.H.I.E.L.D.’s troops get here,” Steve instructed. “If four of our kids could do all this, I don’t want to know what fifty of theirs could do.”

That was a troubling thought. 

“Just what we need, fifty of their kids and none of ours,” Tony muttered. 

————

Peter was exhausted. It had been a long walk of several miles from where the bus dropped them off to the Avengers Compound. His whole body ached. The surgical wounds and the cuts from the whip felt irritated from rubbing against his clothes as he walked. All four of them were all weary, hungry, and thirsty. The bottles of water they had bought in town were long gone. 

They finally reached the Compound, approaching from the very back of the grounds, rather than what was usually considered the front entrance. 

The entrance to this part of the Compound was rarely used, as could be evidenced by the overgrown grass along the fence line. Once they reached the security gate, Peter said, “FRIDAY, it’s me. Let us in.”

There was no response from the AI.

“FRIDAY?” Peter asked again. Again there was no reply. “That’s really weird,” he commented to the others. “I’ve never used this gate before, but I thought FRIDAY monitored all the entrances.”

He was too tired to try to think it through. His spider sense was calm, so he figured it wasn’t a major problem. Since FRIDAY apparently wasn’t going to let them in, Peter opened the security panel and tapped in his access code. The lock clicked open. 

Once they were through the gate, Peter led his team across the extensive grounds of the Compound as they headed towards the main building. 

———————-

The Barton kids had played frisbee for a while and then kicked a ball around the soccer field. Cooper and Lila were pretty good players. They were trying to teach Nate some basic moves. 

Suddenly, Lila caught movement from the corner of her eye. “Cooper, there’s somebody coming,” she whispered to her older brother. She subtly gestured in the direction of the movement. 

Cooper turned to look where she indicated. Sure enough, there were four figures moving slowly across the grounds, heading right towards them. Lila turned to look as well. The biggest figure looked to be a little taller than Cooper himself, the smallest was about the same size as Lila. 

“Who are they?” Lila asked, as she grabbed Nate’s hand. 

“I don’t know,” Cooper replied in a low voice. “They don’t look like grown ups.”

The figures paused for a moment, probably realizing that they had been seen. Then, the tallest one moved in front and the others fell in line behind. They continued their slow walk across the grounds. 

Similarly, Cooper moved in front of his siblings and whispered for Lila and Nate to stay behind him. The three stood their ground in the middle of the soccer field, waiting for the other group to reach them. 

Peter had been aware of the small group on the soccer field long before he actually saw them. He had heard the unfamiliar voices in the distance. Once he knew they had been seen, he stopped his team and observed for a moment. His spider sense was still calm and there was no sign of any danger. Still, he decided to be cautious and instructed the others to stay behind him. 

It wasn’t long before Team Two approached the soccer field. Peter found himself staring at the face of a boy who was only a couple of years younger than himself. There was also a girl who looked to be near Molly’s age and a preschool aged boy. They didn’t look threatening, but Peter was being overly cautious anyway. 

The boy in the middle of the field glared at them. “Who are you? What are you doing here? How did you get in the Compound?” he demanded. 

Peter’s heart sank even further as he suddenly realized something. “You’re the Barton kids, right? Uh, Cooper, Lila, and uhm… Nathaniel?” 

The boy nodded slowly as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, we are.”

_ Shit, _ Peter thought. He remembered what Agent Barton had said before Peter left for camp: _ “I just don’t think Peter is the kind of kid that my kids need to be around… He’s a teenage vigilante… He’s a child soldier. I don’t need my kids around that.” _

Oh, Agent Barton was going to be so angry about this. 

“Who are you?” Cooper demanded again. 

“No one you should know,” Peter muttered. Then more clearly he asked, “Where’s your Dad?”

“He’s not here. He’s on a mission with the rest of the Avengers,” Lila said. Cooper tried to shush his sister. 

Peter frowned._ A mission? _ He wondered what had happened. It was an inconvenient time for the Avengers to be away. 

“What kind of mission? What’s happened?” Peter asked. 

Cooper shrugged. But Lila said, “Something about Hydra and some missing kids. Iron Man has been really upset.”

_ Oh, we’re the mission, _Peter realized. He wasn’t sure if he should be relieved that the Avengers were out looking for them or if he should be ashamed that he had messed up so badly that the Avengers had been called in. 

He sighed and asked tiredly, “Is your Mom here?”

Cooper considered before turning to his sister. “Lila, go get Mom. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on them.” 

Cooper did his best to look intimidating. He stood as tall as he could, shifting his weight from one door to the other. He wore a fierce expression on his young, round face. It wasn’t intimidating at all, but it was a decent attempt. Watching him, Peter tried not to smirk. A part of Peter couldn’t help but think that Cooper would fit into Legacy pretty well. Agent Barton would hate that. Peter suddenly decided that he liked the younger boy. 

After a few minutes, Lila reappeared with a woman in tow. “There,” she said to her mother, pointing at Peter and the others. The women stepped between the two groups of children. 

Peter’s spider sense was calm. However, his recent experiences made him feel suspicious of adults he didn’t know. Glancing back at his team, Peter could tell that the others felt the same way, as they all shifted around nervously. 

“Oh my god!” the woman exclaimed in disbelief. She hadn’t known what to think when Lila had run in, talking about strange children in the Compound. Laura had seen the photos of the missing S.H.I.E.L.D. children and recognized them immediately. 

The woman extended her hand out to Peter. “You’re those kids everyone is looking for.”

She heard her own children gasp in surprise. But Laura focused on the other group of kids. “It’s okay. You’re safe now,” she tried to sound calm and reassuring. 

Peter stared at Laura in distrust for a tense moment. Then with all the authority he could muster, he said, “I’m Peter and we’re Team Two. Can you call the Avengers? I need Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Black Widow.”

————————

Clint’s phone rang suddenly, startling them. 

“Don’t you know you’re supposed to shut that off?” Tony practically reprimanded the archer. 

Clint looked at the display. “It’s Laura. She’s using our emergency code. It overrides the silence settings.”

He answered the call, “Honey, what’s wrong? Are you and the kids okay?” The archer’s eyes went wide as he listened. “What? Are you sure?... OK, I’m gonna put you on speaker and I want you to tell me that again.”

Clint pulled the phone away from his ear and gestured for Tony to step closer. “Say that again, Babe.”

The background chatter on the comms stopped as everyone paused to hear the call. 

Laura’s voice was heard through the phone speaker. “Four kids just showed up at the compound. Two girls and two boys. I think they’re the kids you’re looking for.”

“Peter? It’s Peter? And the rest of his team?” Tony nearly screamed. 

“Yes. That’s all the oldest boy would tell me - that his name is Peter and they are Team Two. Then he asked for Iron Man, Hawkeye and Black Widow. He won’t say anything else. And he won’t let the others say a word.”

Tony was shocked. Peter was at the Compound? How had the kids gotten there? Were they okay? Why hadn’t Peter called him? So many questions ran through his head at once. 

“Are they okay? Are they hurt?” Tony asked urgently, deciding that was the most important thing to know. 

Laura made a frustrated sound. “Peter’s been hurt, but I can’t tell how bad. He won’t let the medical staff near him. He won’t even let me get too close. I think the other kids are physically alright, just tired and hungry. But they all seem traumatized. Something terrible happened to them. I’m going to see if I can get them to eat something. Maybe that will help.”

“We’re on our way,” Tony assured her. “Tell Peter we’ll be there soon!” 

Clint spoke to his wife, “We’ll be there as quickly as we can.” He once again looked around at the damage Team Two had done. “And honey, those kids are dangerous. Keep ours away from them.”

Laura sighed. “I’m afraid it’s too late for that.”

Clint frowned deeply and shot an angry look in Tony’s direction. Ignoring that, the billionaire spoke into the comms, “Cap, did you hear all that? Nat?”

Cap replied first, “We all heard it. You three go! The rest of us will stay here and wait for S.H.I.E.L.D. backup.” 

Nat chimed in, “I’ll meet you at the quinjet.”

“Let’s go!” Tony shouted at Clint, already heading towards the jet at a quick pace. 

They couldn’t get out of there fast enough for Tony. He was finally going to see his Kid again!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like this chapter, because the meeting between the two groups of kids is something I’ve been planning since Chapter 1. I’ve wondered if this was something readers saw coming or if it was a surprise. 
> 
> We’ll see more interactions between all the kids coming up, as well as how the adults deal with everything that’s happened.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony, Nat, and Clint return to the Compound and find Peter and his team waiting for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long lapse between updates! With the entire household adjusting to working from home and remote learning, it’s been hard to get into the mood to write. Additionally, an unexpected home repair project has taken up a lot of time. I hope everyone is staying safe, healthy, and sane during these strange times. 
> 
> This chapter features another appearance of “The Hunting of the Snark”. Just because.

“He wouldn’t hurt your kids,” Tony said a little bitterly once they were in the air. 

“What?” Clint asked, not quite understanding the remark. 

“You told Laura that Peter and the others are dangerous. But Peter wouldn’t hurt your kids. The others probably wouldn’t either.” Tony scowled at the archer. 

Clint shook his head. “I know that. That’s not what I meant.”

“So what did you mean?”

Clint sighed. “I know Peter’s a good kid. He is everything you believe him to be: brilliant, kind, and hard working. He’s sweet and respectful and funny.”

“And how is any of that dangerous?” Tony challenged. 

Clint frowned. “He’s got qualities that just draw people in. He’s so likable. I told you my kids are Spider-Man fans. And if they met him, they would be Peter Parker fans too. My kids would love him. They would want to be like him.”

Tony crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah? What’s wrong with that?”

“I don't want my kids idolizing a child soldier! I don’t want them thinking it’s cool to be a teenage vigilante!”

Tony scoffed. “It’s not like your kids are gonna start spinning webs and swinging from buildings.”

The archer glared at him. “This isn’t about powers and you know it. Peter is reckless. He jumps into high-risk situations without considering his own safety. He’s unpredictable and lacks discipline. If he were just getting into the regular kinds of teenage trouble, that would be fine. But he isn’t. He’s playing at being a superhero. That makes Peter Parker a dangerous influence. He needs to stay away from my kids. All those S.H.I.E.L.D. kids need to stay away from mine.”

Tony fumed. “That’s on you. If you want your kids kept away from my Kid, then you keep yours away. That’s not my responsibility.”

There was tense silence the rest of the flight, until Nat announced that they were approaching the Compound. Once they landed, Tony nearly ran off the quinjet. Nat followed quickly, until Clint grabbed her arm, pulling her back. 

“You agree with me, right? About my kids and Peter?” the archer asked his best friend. 

Nat wasn’t sure how to answer. “I’m not a parent. It’s not my call.” She could see that her answer didn’t satisfy him. She sighed. “Look, you're not wrong. But neither is Tony.” 

She slipped from his grasp and exited the jet. Clint took a deep breath and followed his teammates. 

———————-

Laura hadn’t been able to convince the kids to go inside the main building to rest and eat something. Once Peter knew the Avengers were coming, he had led his team to the field next to the landing pad to wait.

Knowing the kids needed to eat, Laura had gone inside just long enough to pack a quick picnic. Returning to the group of youngsters, she had spread out a blanket and passed out the sandwiches she had thrown together, along with apples, cookies, and bottles of water. The kids devoured the food greedily. Laura knew it wasn’t enough, but it would hold them over for now. 

The experienced mother watched Peter carefully. She could tell that the rest of Team Two were physically unharmed, but their leader was in rough shape. Aside from the way his hand was wrapped and held close to his chest, there were scattered blood stains seeping through his clothes. Additionally, the boy looked like he was ready to drop at any moment, from exhaustion or pain. Laura knew that Peter was enhanced, but even so she was amazed that he was still awake and giving directions to his team. 

Laura’s own kids stayed close, despite her attempts to get them to go back to the family's quarters. They were fascinated by the missing children - now unexpectedly found - and were excited for the Avengers’ return. 

Peter heard the quinjet’s approach before they could see it. With great effort he stood up and the rest of his team did too. Soon the jet came into view and they all watched as it smoothly landed on the pad. 

Tony was the first one off the jet. He immediately rushed over to his protégé. “Pete! Oh, my god, Kid!” the man exclaimed as he got a good look at the boy . 

Nat and Clint emerged from the quinjet after the billionaire. 

“Dad!” Cooper yelled excitedly as he saw his father. 

The archer frowned and made a quick gesture for kids to stay back, as the two super spies joined Tony and the S.H.I.E.L.D. children. 

“Peter,” Tony reached out to touch the Kid, who swayed on his feet. But the boy pulled away slightly, maintaining an at-attention position even as he struggled to maintain his balance. The other children tiredly straightened their posture as well. 

“This is my team, sir,” Peter said firmly as he gestured to the three children behind him. “I’m responsible for them.”

It was obvious the teen was barely staying upright. “Kid, it’s okay. You’re safe now.” Tony tried to reassure him. 

Peter shook his head. He looked at the three Avengers pleadingly. “Sir, they are my responsibility,” he said again, his voice wavered just a little. 

Tony didn’t understand what the boy needed. But Clint did. 

“Stand down, Team Leader. You’re relieved of duty. I’m taking over responsibility for your team,” Clint barked out his most authoritative voice. 

“Yes sir, Agent Barton.” Peter said gratefully. He immediately moved into an at-ease posture. Then in a quiet voice, “They need medical attention and more food. And eventually to be debriefed.” 

Clint said gently, “So do you. You’ve done a good job looking after them.” He patted the teen’s shoulder reassuringly. 

The archer turned to the billionaire, “You take care of this one. I’ll take care of the others.” 

Clint started to lead the three children across the field. The kids looked at Peter and when he gave a nod, they followed the super spy. After a moment, the Barton children ran after them as well. 

Suddenly Peter slumped against his mentor. Now that his team were safely away, he gave in to his exhaustion. His body was about to give out.

Tony wrapped his arm around the shaking boy and supported his weight. “Let’s get you to medbay.” 

Peter shook his head. “I’m sorry. I killed them,” Peter’s voice was barely above a whisper. 

“Who?” Tony asked, puzzled. 

“The Hydra agents. I webbed them up. I used the blue webs. I trapped them and then I left them there to die. I killed them. I’m so sorry.” It was obvious that Peter was wracked with guilt. 

The fact that the Kid felt guilty for his actions made Tony's heart ache even more. “No, Kid, you didn’t kill them. We found the base where you were. We just left there.” 

Peter looked up at him, with surprise and relief in his eyes. “They’re all still alive?”

Tony hesitated. He couldn’t tell Peter the truth, but he couldn’t lie to him either. 

Nat answered for him. “We watched the footage. You didn’t kill anyone.”

Her meaning wasn’t lost on the young genius. He hadn’t killed them, but they weren’t all alive. He assumed that meant the Avengers had killed some of the Hydra agents during their rescue attempt. He would want more information about that later. But for now, he was just relieved to be told that he hadn’t killed them. 

Even with that reassurance, Peter still looked ashamed. He stared at the floor. “I messed up so badly. I failed the mission. We didn’t get the encryption key.” He hated that he had to admit that. 

Tony and Nat exchanged worried looks. It was unthinkable that Peter was worried about such a thing. “You didn’t fail at anything,” Tony said in a calm voice, hugging him tightly. 

Nat put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Peter, The mock mission doesn’t matter. Once you were up against Hydra for real, the mock mission was done. You had a real mission at that point: keep yourself alive, get your team out of there, and get to safety. You did that and you did it amazingly. You succeeded. You understand that, right?”

Tony wasn’t sure if it was the boy’s shock and exhaustion or his youth that had him clinging to the objective of the mock mission. 

Peter shrugged. “I don’t think the disciplinary committee will see it that way,” he said skeptically. His face was pale and his body was shaking. 

Tony was outraged by the idea that Peter would be disciplined for his ordeal. But before Tony could voice his opinion on the matter, Peter dropped, his body finally giving out completely. His eyes rolled back and then closed. All his muscles went limp as he passed out. Tony reacted quickly, catching the teen before he hit the ground. 

Tony rushed him to the medbay, with Nat following close behind. Helen Cho was already waiting for them and ushered them into a private procedure room. The other kids were still being checked over by other doctors on her medical team in the main room. 

“Vision sent me all the files on what they did to him at the Hydra base,” Helen said as she started to cut Peter’s clothes off so she could examine him. Tony nodded as he gently removed the web shooters from Peter’s wrists. He and the others had reviewed all the data during the flight back. 

Seeing the files hadn’t prepared them for the sight of the boy’s wounds. Peter’s torso, arms, and legs were covered in welts and cuts from the whipping. They had barely started to heal. There were deeper surgical cuts on his chest and abdomen. They were an angry red, with pus seeping out, obvious signs of infection. 

Helen inspected these quickly and made some notes. An imaging scan confirmed that Hydra had taken tissue samples from most of his major organs. Then Helen unwrapped Peter’s injured hand. Tony gasped once the hand was uncovered and Nat had to look away while she schooled her expression. 

They all knew that the Hydra doctor had removed all the skin and some of the muscle from Peter’s palm and fingers in her attempt to understand his stickiness. But the sight of it was so much worse than they had imagined. Here too infection had set in, with raw inflamed tissue and pus. Even Helen had to take pause at the sight of it.

“Why isn’t he healing?” Tony asked the doctor as a nurse stepped into the room. 

“He’s malnourished and exhausted. His body hasn’t had the resources to heal,” Helen replied. “We will need to clean and debride the wounds. We’ll give him some IV antibiotics and I’ll have to put in a feeding tube to get him adequate nutrients to kick start his healing.”

She saw the worried looks on Tony’s and Nat’s faces. “He’ll make a full recovery,” she assured them. “It’s just going to take some time.”

“Speaking of time,” Nat said, “do we know where he’s been? The kids escaped two days ago.” 

Tony shook his head and added, “We still don’t even know how they got here.”

“They took the bus,” the nurse spoke up. The others turned to look at her. She continued, “I was with the doctors checking out the other children. They took the Greyhound from Indiana to the nearest town. Then they walked the rest of the way.” 

Tony was stunned. He looked at the unconscious boy again and couldn’t imagine how painful the travel must have been. It tore at his heart to think of the ordeal his kid had endured, having been captured and tortured, then the difficult battle at the base, and finally the agonizing trip to the Compound. He was amazed that Peter had made it here. And he had taken care of his team the whole time. The Kid was strong and stubborn and Tony couldn’t be prouder of him. 

“How are the others?” Nat asked the nurse. 

“They’re in good shape. No serious physical injuries. They are hungry and tired, not as badly as Peter, but still significantly. Agent Barton took them to get something to eat and then he will settle them into some rooms in the guest wing.”

Nat’s phone rang and she stepped to the other side of the room to take the call. 

Tony brushed his hand through Peter’s curls. “Will he wake up soon?”

Helen shook her head. “No. I’m going to give him some of his painkillers in the IV. They’ll keep him asleep for a few days. With that and the feeding tube, he’ll heal faster.”

Tony desperately wanted to talk with Peter, but he knew sleep was essential for the boy to get better. So he would have to wait. In the meantime, he planned to stay with his Kid as much as possible. 

Nat finished her call and Tony walked over to her, giving the medical staff room to work on Peter. “What’s the news?” 

“That was Steve. The others are on their way back. S.H.I.E.L.D. is taking over the cleanup of the Hydra base. They’ll take everyone who’s left into custody, including the Hydra kids. S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to have to figure out what to do with them.”

Tony didn’t give a damn about the Hydra kids. They could be locked up in some S.H.I.E.L.D. juvenile prison for all he cared. 

“Did they hear from Fury?” He asked. 

“Yeah. Steve said Fury is tied up in meetings in D.C. for the next few days. He’s ordered Peter’s team kept here until he can come and debrief them personally. And no contact with their families in the meantime.”

“Oh, it’s too bad he didn’t tell us that earlier. I’ve already sent Happy to pick up May Parker,” Tony said with mock regret. Then he pulled out his phone and texted his driver to do just that. 

He glanced at Nat, to see if she disapproved of his blatant defiance of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Director. But Nat just smirked and didn’t comment. 

—————-

Peter laid unconscious for days. He was forced into an unnatural sleep by the medication in his IV. He was unnaturally fed by the tube that pushed nutrition directly into his stomach. His immune system was strengthened by antibiotics. Finally, his body was being given the resources it needed to really start the healing process. 

He was indeed healing. The infections had already cleared up and the surgical incisions had faded to pink lines. The welts and cuts from the whipping were already gone. Imaging scans showed that Peter’s internal organs had recovered from where the tissue samples had been removed. Even his damaged right hand was looking much better, the muscles had knitted back together and fresh new skin was growing over his palm and fingers. Helen expected that tomorrow they should be able to take him off the medication and allow the boy to wake up. 

Now that Peter was obviously healing, Tony had finally convinced May to get a few hours sleep in a real bed. The woman had been at her nephew’s side almost continuously since she arrived at the Compound. She was exhausted and needed the break. 

Tony himself was at Peter’s bedside, reviewing the information displayed on his tablet. He paused in his work and studied Peter's monitors for a moment. He was thankful to have a few quiet hours to just sit by the Kid’s bed and keep watch over him. Tony had spent hours at Peter’s side, working intently on his tablet. He was close to completing the painstaking process of analyzing each line of Friday’s code and making corrections where needed. The effort had paid off and the A.I. had already been restored to most of the Compound. There were only a few subroutines he still needed to clear. Tony felt more relaxed and secure knowing that FRIDAY was working again. 

Setting the tablet aside, Tony reflected on the past few days. Despite the fact that all he wanted was to stay by Peter’s side, he had been called away much of the time to deal with the fallout from recent events. Clint had been right about one thing. S.H.I.E.L.D. leadership and The World Council had indeed been impressed by the footage of the children fighting Hydra. The fact that four Legacy Assets had taken down a Hydra base excited them and there was talk of expanding the type of missions the Legacy kids might be sent on. 

Tony and the other Avengers were disgusted by the idea that S.H.I.E.L.D. might intentionally send children to fight Hydra. Additionally, they worried about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s plans for Spider-Man. They realized they were going to need help to put an end to Project Legacy quickly. After a long discussion, Tony and Steve decided to leak most of the Upset the Applecart files to T'Challa. The Wakandan king had discretely released the information to the United Nations General Assembly. He had been careful to protect all the children’s identities and to make sure Spider-Man was in no way mentioned. Soon after, the UN members were demanding answers and governments around the world were threatening the US with sanctions. 

There was a tense stand-off while the World Council and the UN vied for authority over the issue. But the subject of creating child soldiers was a sensitive one and several countries refused to back down. Wanting to avoid an international incident, S.H.I.E.L.D. acquiesced and agreed to shut down Project Legacy. 

The whole thing had happened over just a few days. Now they had to act quickly to make sure twenty-six children weren’t left without legal protection or financial resources. Pepper had been amazing and worked fervently to set up the “Legacy Foundation for S.H.I.E.L.D. Orphans”. Stark Industries was a major benefactor of the new foundation. Additionally, a generous donation had been made by the Government of Wakanda. The Foundation was working to get legal guardianships in place for each child as well as provide funding for anything they needed. 

After a long talk, May and Tony had agreed to share guardianship of Peter. Tony had no desire to take the teen away from his last family member; he had lost so much already. And May recognized that as a young superhero, Peter needed the guidance and resources that Tony could provide. Her words echoed what Nick Fury had said at the camp. They would share legal and physical custody so Peter could live in Queens to be close to his school, but stay at the Compound on weekends and school breaks. There was just the matter of finalizing the paperwork to make things official. 

While all these events took place, Peter laid unconscious. He was oblivious to the near global political storm his misadventures had caused. He was completely unaware of the change of his legal status. He was no longer a S.H.I.E.L.D. asset; he was going to officially be May and Tony’s kid. Peter’s whole world changed while he was sleeping, and he had no idea. 

As Tony reflected on the past few days, he wondered what Peter would think of everything once he woke up. He hoped the teen would be happy with the way things turned out. He would move heaven and earth if necessary to keep his Kid safe and happy. The billionaire affectionately ran his hand through Peter’s curls. 

Tony had talked to the rest of Peter’s team about what had happened at the Hydra base and their difficult journey home. Tony had a ton of questions for the teen after hearing their story. He couldn’t wait for Peter to wake up so they could talk. But mostly, he was thankful that his Kid was home safe and he was incredibly proud of how Peter had handled everything. 

Nat entered the room quietly, then hung back and studied the scene before her. Tony heard her anyway and turned to look at the woman. 

“How’s he doing?” The super spy asked, stepping closer to the bed. 

Tony smiled. “He’s getting better. I know Helen says it’s good he’s still asleep, but… somehow it just doesn’t seem right to see him like this. I wish he would wake up.”

Nat nodded, knowing what he meant. “I’m sure he’ll be a restless ball of energy soon.” 

Tony nodded. “How’s Barton and his entourage?” 

Apparently Zee, Jackson, and Molly had been desperate for an adult S.H.I.E.L.D. authority figure. Once Clint had taken responsibility for them, the three S.H.I.E.L.D. children seemed to have imprinted on him like baby ducklings. They got anxious when he was out of their sight, so they followed the man everywhere. 

Other Avengers had tried to help out. They planned activities for the kids and spent time with them. Even though the kids were thrilled to meet the rest of the Avengers, they still insisted on staying near the archer. Clint’s own kids got jealous, so they also followed him around. Now he couldn’t go anywhere without having all six children trailing after him. 

Nat chuckled, “They haven’t let him get a moment of peace.” 

“I bet,” Tony laughed. He made no effort to hide his amusement at Clint’s situation. It served Clint right after his earlier insistence about keeping the S.H.I.E.L.D. kids away from his own. Tony considered it poetic justice. 

Nat turned serious. “Fury called for you. He wants an update on the kids. And Pepper needs you to review some legal documents for the Legacy Foundation.” 

Tony sighed. So much for having a few quiet hours at the kid’s bedside. “I gotta go get some work done, Kid. I won’t be gone long,” he said quietly. He ran his hand through the unruly curls again and caressed Peter’s cheek. 

He looked back at Nat. “I sent May to get some rest, do you mind sitting with him? I know he’s out, but I really don’t want him to be alone.”

“Yeah, no problem. Like you said, you won’t be long,” Nat answered coolly, as if Tony didn’t already know how deeply she cared about Peter. 

With another look at his Kid, and then a quick nod to the woman, Tony reluctantly left the room.

Nat waited until she could hear Tony’s footsteps recede down the hall. Giving the boy an affectionate look, she pulled a slim well-worn book from her back pocket. Then she settled herself comfortably in the chair by his bedside. 

_ Finally_, she thought. After all, she’d been waiting for days to get the Kid to herself. 

——————-

_ “To seek it with thimbles, to seek it with care; _ _To pursue it with forks and hope; _ _To threaten its life with a railway-share; _ _To charm it with smiles and soap!”_

Nat read in a clear voice, pausing to glance at the still unconscious teen. 

_ "For the Snark's a peculiar creature, that won't _ _Be caught in a commonplace way. _ _Do all that you know, and try all that you don't: _ _Not a chance must be wasted to-day!”_

She stopped as she heard footsteps behind her and looked over her shoulder. 

Tony gave a sheepish smile, like he was embarrassed to have interrupted something private and meaningful. “Don’t stop because of me. That’s one of his favorites.”

The corners of Nat’s mouth pulled up briefly. She closed the book and placed it on the bedside table. “I know. I’ve read it to him before.”

Tony glanced at the book at the table, then picked it up. He turned it over in his hands. “This isn’t Peter’s copy,” he realized. 

“No, it’s mine,” Nat narrowed her eyes as though she was waiting for him to make a sarcastic comment. 

Instead Tony just nodded. “It’s not your usual reading material,” he pointed out. 

“No, but this one’s special,” Nat replied, glancing at Peter with a motherly expression. 

Tony wasn’t sure if she meant the book or the boy. 

“What did Fury want?” she asked, changing the topic. 

“He wanted an update on Peter and the others. He’ll be here tomorrow to debrief them.”

“Will Peter be awake tomorrow?”

Tony nodded. “Helen thinks he will. While he’s here, Fury is going to sign the paperwork to officially release all the kids from S.H.I.E.L.D.’s guardianship.” 

Nat gave him a rare, wide smile. “You did it, Tony. You took down Legacy.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Take care of yourselves and those you love!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint deals with six children following him everywhere. Peter wakes up in the medbay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter, but I wanted to get it out because it’s been so long between updates. 
> 
> I’ve taken some liberties with the design of the Avengers Compound. There may or may not be accurate. But it’s how I’m imagining things for the purpose of this story.

The residential building at the Avengers Compound had three spacious living areas, each in its own wing. Each area had its own kitchen, dining room, living room, bedrooms, bathrooms, and office spaces. 

The first was Tony Stark’s private quarters. The billionaire knew on some level that he probably ought to live with the team. But he personally owned the grounds the Compound was built on and he paid for the upkeep of the entire complex, so he felt that he deserved his own quarters. Additionally, he had a lab and workshop in his quarters, so he could work whenever the mood would strike and not be bothered by anyone else. However, this living area wasn’t only his. Pepper lived in Tony’s quarters, most of the time. She still had an apartment in Manhattan where she stayed when work required her to be in the City. Also, Peter’s room was in Tony’s quarters and the place was easily the boy’s second home. There were also a couple of spare bedrooms, one of which was currently being used by May Parker. 

The second living area was the Avengers Team quarters. Now that the rogue Avengers had returned, most of the team lived there full time. Clint and Scott split their time between the Compound and their families, of course. Rhodey often stayed in DC, as his military duties required. But the majority of the Avengers considered the Compound their permanent home, including the former rogues. 

The third living area was the guest quarters. These quarters were used by visiting government officials and friends or family members of the Avengers. Tony made sure the space was always ready to be occupied at a moment’s notice. It was always clean, comfortable, and well stocked with all the food and amenities any guest could want. There were enough books, games and movies to keep guests of all ages entertained. Additionally, guests had access to the gym, the pool, the bowling alley, and the outdoor playing fields. Currently, the guest quarters were occupied by the Barton family and three Legacy kids. 

When Clint had taken over responsibility for Zee, Jackson, and Molly, he thought it would be an easy task. His plan had been to have the kids checked out in the medbay, then bring them to the guest quarters, where he would feed them and set them up with bedrooms. He had seen at the camp that the Legacy kids were pretty self-sufficient. Therefore he expected that once they had eaten and rested, they would be able to keep themselves occupied by the many activities available. He didn’t expect to have much interaction with them. 

Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way. After their ordeal, the children seemed to crave the security of having a trusted adult nearby at all times. And the adult they all chose was Clint Barton. They followed him everywhere. They would happily watch a movie or play games while he was in the room. But when he tried to leave, they kids would immediately get up, ready to accompany him to his destination. When he suggested the kids check out the grounds, they excitedly agreed, then dragged him along with them.

Cooper, Lila, and Nate were not about to let some other kids take up all their father’s attention. So they also followed their Dad everywhere. Despite Clint’s strong desire to keep the two sets of kids away from each other, that quickly proved to be impossible. The two groups of kids had initially been wary of each other. But after a short while they seemed to develop fast friendships in the way that children can. 

At the moment, Cooper and Jackson were engrossed in playing a video game in the living room. Lila and Molly were coloring in another corner of the room. They laughed as they made up stories about their drawings. Zee was reading a book to Nate, the two cuddled up together on the loveseat. 

Clint watched the kids for a moment. They all seemed busy with activities, so he hoped he could sneak away for at least an hour. He met Laura’s eyes meaningfully as he slowly moved to exit the guest quarters. 

He had almost made it when he heard Jackson’s voice, “Where are you going, Agent Barton?” 

Clint turned back towards the living room and saw all six kids watching him. 

“I… uh… I need to go check on the maintenance team working on the quinjet,” the archer told them. 

“That sounds interesting. I’d love to learn more about how the quinjet works! I’ll go with you,” Jackson said enthusiastically as he set down the video game controller and made his way across the room.

Zee put aside the book she was reading to Nate, “I’d like to see that too.” She stood up. 

“I’ll go too,” Molly piped up. Then all the other kids got up from their activities and moved towards Clint. 

The archer ducked his head in defeat. “Great. I guess we’re all going.”

Laura tried to hide her amusement. “I’ll see if some of the other Avengers want to join you.” Hopefully the other heroes would occupy the kids’ attention for a while.  _ Hopefully. _

When Clint and his followers arrived at the quinjet hangar, several of the other Avengers were already there, including Steve, Sam, and Nat. 

Clint immediately went to talk with the maintenance crew and Jackson - true to his word - stayed close by, listening to every technical detail. After a while, the super spy started to actively point things out to the boy and teach him some of the finer points of quinjet maintenance. To his surprise, Clint actually enjoyed it, especially since his own kids weren’t interested in the mechanics of the jet. 

Meanwhile, the other Avengers talked to the rest of the kids. 

“Captain, is Spider-Man going to visit the Compound soon?” Cooper asked. 

Steve glanced over the boy’s head towards Clint. All the Avengers knew how the archer felt about his kids and Spider-Man. 

“I don’t think so, Cooper. Spider-Man has been pretty busy lately,” the super soldier replied. 

Cooper looked doubtful. “He has? Because I’ve read articles that said he hasn’t been seen in Queens for a long time. Not in the other boroughs either. Not since the beginning of summer.”

Steve smiled slightly. “That’s because Spider-Man has been on Special Assignment.”

That got Cooper excited. “He has? What kind of Special Assignment?”

“That’s classified. But S.H.I.E.L.D. has him working on something that fits his unique skills,” Steve said after a moment. It wasn’t really a lie, he told himself. 

Cooper’s eyes went wide. “Oh, wow! Is he going after some really bad guys?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, he has been. I’ve got to go talk to Sam for a minute.”

Once Steve had moved away, Zee came up to him, having overheard their conversation. “Are you a Spider-Man fan or something?” she asked. 

Cooper nodded. “Oh yeah! He’s amazing. Are you?”

Zee gave a small laugh. “Yeah, I’m a big fan. Jackson and Molly are too.” 

“We were hoping to meet him while we were here,” Cooper admitted in a downcast tone. 

“I kinda thought you would know all the Avengers,” Zee said. 

“We know all the others. Even Ant Man. Spider-Man’s the only one we haven’t met. I really want to meet him. I want to ask him to sign a poster for my room.”

Zee nodded thoughtfully, but didn’t say anything more. 

“Hey kids!” Steve called out in a raised voice. “Sam, Nat, and I are going to do some drills in the training gym. Do you want to come watch?” 

Clint held his breath. He knew his teammates were trying to give him a break. He just hoped it would work. 

The kids all got excited and eagerly expressed their interest. A chance to watch some of the Avengers train was like a dream come true. 

Molly turned to Clint suddenly, “You’ll come too, right Agent Barton?”

The kids all quieted down, waiting for his response. 

Clint smiled at them. “I need to get some work done here. You kids go and I’ll catch up with you later,” he said casually. 

“Oh. In that case, I think we’ll stay here,” Zee answered with clear disappointment. “But thank you for the offer, Captain,” she added politely. 

The other children murmured their agreement. It was obvious that they really wanted to see the Avengers train, but refused to leave the archer. 

Nat turned to Clint with a look that said,  _ We tried.  _ He appreciated their efforts. 

“Can we maybe see them train another time?” Jackson asked hopefully, as he looked up at the man. 

Clint sighed. “Come on, everyone. Let’s go run some drills.”   
———————

After the impromptu training session, Clint and the children went back to the guest quarters. The kids had thoroughly enjoyed the session. Nat and Sam had taught them some new self-defense moves and worked them until they were worn out. Now all the kids needed some quiet activity - a movie would be good - and food. 

While the others settled down in the living room, Zee managed to corner Clint in the kitchen as he grabbed the snacks. “Your kids don’t know about Parker, do they?” Her tone was both curious and accusing. 

“Don’t know what about him?” Clint asked innocently. 

Zee rolled her eyes. “I heard Cooper ask Captain America if Spider-Man is going to visit the Compound anytime soon. So obviously your kids don’t know that Spider-Man is in the medbay right now.” 

Clint sighed. Then he firmly said, “No, they don’t. And it’s going to stay that way.”

“Why?” the girl challenged. 

Clint had already had this argument with Tony. He definitely did not want to have it with a thirteen year old. The girl was practically Cooper’s age after all! 

“Because I’m the Dad and I said so.”

Zee frowned. It wasn’t much of an answer. She opened her mouth to argue, but Clint cut her off first. 

“I mean it, not a word to my kids about it,” he said sternly. “Tell your friends the same.” 

Zee huffed, but only replied, “Yes, sir.” After all, the Legacy kids were used to keeping secrets. 

———————

Eventually, after an evening of movies and a good meal, everyone in the guest quarters settled down for the night. 

The S.H.I.E.L.D. children had each been assigned their own bedrooms. Despite that fact, every night the three insisted on pulling their bedding into the living room. They slept on the floor, curled up next to each other. Clint and Laura recognized it as a sign of trauma, just like their habit of following Clint around. S.H.I.E.L.D. was supposed to send a child psychologist to the Compound to work with tgem. In the meantime, the adults thought it was best to let the children sleep in the living room. Of course, the kids still wanted Clint close by, so he ended up sleeping on the couch each night. 

Once again, Cooper, Lila, and Nate worried about missing out on something. So they too dragged their blankets and pillows into the living room and slept on the floor near the other children. And so the Bartons found themselves hosting what felt like an unending slumber party. 

———————

The fourth wing of the residents building contained the medbay. This mini hospital had everything necessary to care for the Avengers’ medical needs. After a mission, the medbay could be bustling with activity while a full medical staff tended to any injuries the team members sustained. 

Currently, the medbay was occupied by only one superhero. Ironically, it was the one Cooper Barton and his siblings longed to meet. 

Tony dozed lightly while he kept watch over Peter. It was early evening, but in the medbay it was easy to lose track of time. If the billionaire had been more awake, he would have seen the teen’s eyes flutter until they opened. He would have felt the boy starting to stir. He would have been able to calm Peter at the first signs of regaining consciousness. 

Awareness came to Peter slowly. His muscles were all sore and his head felt fuzzy. He wasn’t sure where he was. Suddenly, he was aware of a feeding tube going through his nostril and down his throat. He could feel the needle of an IV in his arm. 

Peter panicked, his first thought was that he was somehow back at the Hydra base. They had recaptured him. And they were going to cut his brain out. He needed to get out of there. He was surprised, but relieved, to discover that his wrists and ankles weren’t bound. 

Quickly, he sat up and pulled the IV out of his arm. Then he took a deep breath and pulled the feeding tube out of his nose. It burned his throat. He coughed and sputtered. But he yanked hard, until he pulled the whole thing out. 

Tony woke, startled by the sound of coughing and wheezing. “Peter!” he called out. He was surprised to see the boy was awake and panicking. 

The man watched, a little horrified as Peter pulled out the feeding tube. He understood, though. Watching Peter reminded Tony of his experience in Afghanistan, when he had pulled out his own feeding tube immediately upon waking. Once Peter got it out, Tony tossed the offending object aside. 

“It’s okay. You’re okay,” Tony reassured him. “You’re at the Compound. You’re safe.” He moved quickly and sat on the edge of the bed. He put his hands on Peter’s shoulders in an attempt to bring the boy to reality. 

Peter blinked a couple of times, clearing his vision and trying to clear his head. 

“Mr. Stark?” he asked, his voice quiet and rough. 

“Yeah, Kid. It’s me,” Tony replied. He was overjoyed to see Peter awake, despite the boy’s confusion.

“You’re here.” Peter said in relief. He leaned heavily against the man. 

“I’m here.” Tony smiled and rubbed the boy’s back. After a minute he asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. Sore.” Peter yawned. Despite the fact that he had just woken up, fatigue was setting in again. 

Tony nodded. “Helen didn’t expect you to wake up yet. Your body must have cleared the meds faster than we thought it would. You should go back to sleep.”

“How’s my team?” Peter asked worriedly. 

“They’re good,” Tony assured him. He helped Peter lay back down and pulled the blanket over him. “Barton’s taking good care of them.” 

“You’re sure?” Peter persisted. He could barely keep his eyes open. 

“Yes and you can see them in the morning. Go back to sleep,” Tony urged. “I’ll be here when you wake up again.” He gently ran his hand through the Kid’s curls. 

Peter nodded, soothed by his mentor. “I missed you,” he murmured as he fell back asleep. 

“I missed you too, Pete. I missed you so much,” Tony confessed to the sleeping boy. 

———————-

When Peter woke again, he felt more refreshed and alert than he had in a long time. He had a rush of euphoria as he realized that he was no longer in any pain. Every part of him felt healthy and whole. He pulled the blanket down and looked at his torso, which was clear of any wounds. There weren’t even any scars. Then he looked at his right hand and saw it was fully healed. Wiggling his fingers, he marveled at his accelerated healing. No matter how many times it happened, his healing abilities always amazed him. A wide smile spread across his face as he sat up in the bed. 

He could tell it was late at night. It was dark outside and the room lights were dimmed. Tony was asleep in the chair by his bed. May slumbered on the small couch across the room. Neither of them looked like they had been getting much sleep lately. He decided to let them be. Just knowing they were there made him feel calm and safe.

But there were other people he needed to see. People he couldn’t wait any longer to see. 

“FRIDAY, where’s the team?” he asked in the quietest voice possible, so as not to wake the adults. 

The A.I. replied just as quietly. With Peter’s super sensitive hearing, she could talk to him at a low volume that wouldn’t disturb the others. 

“Most of the Avengers are sleeping in their personal quarters. Boss is asleep in medbay, as you know. Steve Rogers is in the communal kitchen preparing a snack. Natasha...” 

“No, not the Avengers team,” Peter interrupted. “My team. Team Two. The Legacy kids,” he clarified. 

“Project Legacy has been discontinued. Therefore, there are no Legacy Assets anymore,” FRIDAY informed him. 

The boy was stunned. “Wait. What? So where is my team?”

“The other S.H.I.E.L.D. orphans are in the guest quarters, along with the Barton family.”

_ S.H.I.E.L.D. orphans. _ He wasn’t sure that title was an improvement.

Peter crept out of the medbay without waking Tony or May. He knew they needed their sleep. He stealthily made his way to the guest wing. He needed to get to his team and he didn’t want anyone to stop him. 

Once he got the guest quarters, Peter entered the living room and grinned when he saw the group of kids asleep on the floor. He quickly ducked into one of the unused bedrooms and pulled the blankets and pillows off the bed. Returning to the living room, Peter squeezed the bedding into a small space in the middle of the group and laid down. The rest of the team shifted in their sleep to make room for him. Then they resettled, all curled up together. 

Peter felt at peace. His team was here, safe. Tony and May were close by. In the back of his mind, he was troubled by FRIDAY’s statement that Legacy had been discontinued. He had a feeling that tomorrow, everything would change. But that would be tomorrow. Tonight, everything was right in his world. For the first time in a long time, Peter slept without fear. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up, Tony is going to freak out when he wakes up and Peter is missing from the medbay. 
> 
> I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint and Tony talk. Peter and Tony talk. Peter learns what happened at the base after the kids escaped.

Tony shifted in his sleep, causing his elbow to slip off the armrest and the hand supporting his chin fell away. He startled awake just as his head bobbed to his chest. 

It took him a moment to clear his head and get his bearings. He realized he had fallen asleep in the easy chair next to Peter’s bed in the medbay. He stretched his sore muscles, which protested their awkward position. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he looked across the room and saw that May was still asleep on the small couch. He smiled slightly at the sight, and then turned towards Peter’s bed. 

Peter’s empty bed. 

_ What the hell? _

Tony stood up and scanned the room, but there was no sign of the boy. Quickly, he checked the nearby bathroom, but it was empty. He ran down the hall, looking in all the other rooms in the medical wing, but they were also empty. 

“Pete? Kid?” He called out as he started scanning the ceilings. Maybe the Spiderling had crawled up high somewhere. 

When he got back to Peter’s room, he found May just waking up. 

“Tony what’s going on?” she asked as she rubbed sleep from her eyes. 

“Do you know where Peter is?” Tony asked frantically. 

“What? He’s not here?” May was startled to full wakefulness. 

“No. And I checked the whole medbay. I can’t find him,” Tony replied. 

“Boss,” FRIDAY interrupted calmly, “Peter is in the guest quarters with the Barton family.”

“What?” Tony asked in surprise. “What the hell is he doing there?”

FRIDAY paused a moment, then said, “Currently he is sleeping.”

Tony and May exchanged confused looks, then rushed off to the guest quarters. 

———————

Clint woke with a start. He never could sleep on the couch for more than a couple hours at a time. And he had been sleeping on the couch for the past few nights. He really wanted to crawl into bed and cuddle with his wife, but the children insisted on sleeping in the living room and insisted on having him nearby. Which meant he slept on the couch each night. 

He sat up and ran a hand over his face. Automatically, and not fully awake, his eyes sought out the shapes on the floor. Six small bodies were curled up asleep amidst piles of blankets and pillows. Suddenly, his brain jolted to full wakefulness as something unusual registered. There weren’t six small bodies on the floor. There were… _ seven? _

It didn’t take him more than a minute to realize that the seventh sleeping child was Peter Parker. Peter was curled up with his Legacy team members and an arms length away from Clint’s own children. 

_ What the hell? _

Clint hadn’t heard that Peter was released from medbay. Of course he didn’t expect to be high on the priority list for such notifications. Still, it would have been nice to get some warning before the Kid just showed up around his family. 

Clint stood up just as Tony and May ran into the room. They both looked panicked. 

“Peter? Is Peter here?” Tony asked the archer. 

Clint immediately put a finger to his lips, shushing the upset billionaire. He didn’t want the children to wake up. Then he silently pointed to the pile of sleeping kids. 

Relief flooded Tony’s face. May chuckled lightly, as she gazed adoringly at her nephew asleep with the other kids. The two then looked at each other and grinned. 

Clint cleared his throat, causing Tony and May to turn to him. They both saw that the archer was definitely not smiling. 

May could see the tension between the two men. “Well, now that we know Peter’s safe, I think I’ll head to bed,” she said softly. She gave Tony a reassuring squeeze on the arm, then turned and left. 

Clint gestured for Tony to follow him into the dining area. From there, they could still see the kids, but could talk with fear of waking them as long as they kept their voices low. 

“What the hell is going on here, Stark?” Clint demanded in a harsh whisper. “You know I don’t want Peter around my kids! You could have told me he was being released from medbay!”

“Don’t blame me, Barton,” Tony replied just as harshly. “He wasn’t released. When I woke up, he was gone and I had no idea where he went.” 

Both men sat at the table and tried to calm down. 

Tony sighed. “When the Kid woke up before, he asked about his team. So I can only assume he came here looking for them.” 

Clint nodded. “Yeah. That makes sense, knowing Peter. I just don’t want him around my kids. You know that. I don’t want them to find out Spider-Man’s a teenager. I don’t want them emulating him. They’re too young to understand his situation.”

They were silent for a moment. They both seemed to realize that rehashing this argument in the middle of the night wasn’t going to get them anywhere. Especially when the children in question were all asleep in the next room. 

Then Tony said. “I do understand some of your concerns. He’s so young. He’ll be sixteen soon and he feels like that makes him almost an adult. But he’s still a kid. And he doesn’t realize that even when he’s eighteen and an actual legal adult, he’ll still be really young for what we do. He’s too young to realize how young he really is.”

Clint considered. “I guess we were all like that at his age. Eager to be all grown up.”

Tony gazed at the sleeping kids. “But at the same time, the things he’s done - endured torture, escaped from a Hydra base and safely brought his team here. It’s amazing. I know grown men who couldn’t have done that.” 

“Yeah,” Clint agreed. 

Tony shook his head in frustration. “What do I do with him? If I could, I’d lock him up and keep him safe until he’s thirty. Can I do that?”

Clint chuckled. “No, you can’t. And you wouldn’t. But I understand the impulse.” The archer looked at his own sleeping children. “That’s part of being a parent, that deep need to keep your kids safe.”

Tony shook his head. “How did I let this happen? How did I let myself get attached to a super powered teenager who jumps headlong into danger?” 

“I don’t know. And I never would have expected it from you. But I gotta say this man to man, you taking care of this kid is probably the best thing you’ve ever done.” 

“Yeah, it is,” Tony agreed quietly. Then he yawned. 

Clint stood up. “Okay look, it’s late. We’re both tired. You take one couch and I’ll take the other. Then we’ll figure this out in the morning.”

Tony nodded and the two men went back to the living room. For a moment, they watched the children sleep, then settled in on opposite couches and fell asleep. 

—————

“Parker? Parker, wake up.”

A hand shook his shoulder. Peter opened his eyes to see Zee leaning over him. He sat up quickly, the girl backing away just in time to avoid their heads colliding. Molly and Jackson were on either side of him, just waking up. 

Peter looked around wide-eyed. “Are you alright? Is everyone okay?” 

“We’re all good, Parker,” Zee assured him. “What are you doing here? We thought you were still in medical.” 

“I was. I got better, so I came to see you guys.” He grinned at his team, happy to be with them. 

Cooper sat up and waved to get their attention. Then loudly whispered, “Why is Iron Man asleep on our couch?” 

All the kids turned to look at Tony, sprawled out on the couch and snoring. 

Peter swore under his breath. Then said, “He must have come looking for me.” He glanced at the other couch where Hawkeye was similarly asleep. 

Peter’s stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him that he hadn’t had real food in a while. Peter blushed in embarrassment, but Zee only chuckled. 

“We should let them sleep and find some breakfast,” she suggested. 

The seven children were surprisingly quiet as they made their way to the kitchen. 

Peter looked through the well stocked pantry, trying to decide what he wanted to eat. He knew that Dr. Cho would insist on something bland for his first meal after waking up, like plain toast and clear juice. But he really didn’t want that. Spying his favorite cereal on one of the shelves, he grabbed it. The other kids followed his lead and pulled down more boxes of cereal and set them on the table. Peter and Lila got a bunch of bowls, glasses, and silverware from the cabinets while Zee retrieved the jugs of milk and orange juice from the fridge. Soon all the kids were settled around the large table enjoying cereal. 

Peter listened as his team told him about how they had spent the past few days with the Bartons and how the other Avengers had visited with them as well. He was relieved to know that his team had been treated well and looked after. He hadn’t really expected anything else, but he still felt responsible for them. 

Jackson was describing their experience watching the Avengers train. The others added details here and there. 

“Why did Hydra hurt you?” Cooper asked suddenly. 

“What?” Peter asked in surprise. 

“Hydra didn’t hurt any of them,” Cooper gestured towards the other kids. “But they hurt you. A lot. Why?”

Zee sent Peter a warning look and he understood her meaning. No revealing his identity as Spider-Man. He could say that it was because he was close to Iron Man and the other Avengers. That would be believable, but it might make the Barton kids worry about their own safety. So he went another route. 

Peter shrugged. “I guess they thought that since I was the oldest and the team leader, I would know more about S.H.I.E.L.D. than the others.”

Cooper looked like he didn’t completely believe that. 

“Do you?” Lila asked. 

Peter winked at her. “That’s classified.”

Cooper rolled his eyes. “You were looking pretty bad when you got here. How did you get better so fast?” 

“Dr. Cho is really good. And the medbay has all the best equipment to heal injuries real fast.” Peter told him, taking another bite of his cereal. 

Lila nodded. “She healed up Daddy’s side once with a special machine. Grew him some new tissues and everything.” She had overheard her parents talking about it. 

Peter nodded. “Yep, it was like that. It’s really amazing.” It wasn’t at all how Cho had treated him, but they didn’t need to know that. 

Cooper looked skeptical. He seemed to sense that something wasn’t right here. He was about to say something else, when Clint and Tony entered the room. 

Tony rushed to Peter. He embraced the boy and then looked him over carefully to make sure he was fully recovered from his injuries. 

Tony pulled over a chair and sat down next to Peter, who was enthusiastically attacking his cereal. His appetite had returned with a vengeance. 

“Really, Kid? Frosted Flakes?” Tony asked incredulously. 

“What’s wrong with Frosted Flakes, Mr. Stark? They’re great! It even says so on the box,” Peter pointed with his spoon for emphasis. 

Tony just shook his head, “They’re not great when you haven’t had solid food for a while.”

Peter smirked. “You’re just sore because their mascot stole your name. Wait… did he steal your name? Or were you named for the tiger on the cereal box? Who’s older, Tony the Tiger or Tony Stark?”

Tony had to work hard to hide his smile. He had truly missed the Kid and his sass. “You have access to the internet. Go figure it out,” he replied dryly. 

Peter chuckled and shoved another spoonful of cereal into his mouth. Tony ruffled the Kid’s hair. 

Watching their interaction, Clint couldn’t help but smile. Then he looked at the clock. It was later than he had thought. He clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. 

“Kids, we have a busy day today. Nick Fury will be here in a couple of hours, so everyone needs to get cleaned up and get dressed.” 

The kids scrambled to clear the breakfast table and then headed off to get ready. Peter and Tony headed back towards Tony’s quarters. The man put his arm around the boy as they walked along the corridors and Peter leaned into him slightly. 

When they got there Tony instructed, “Go check in with May. Let her see that you’re alright. Then shower and get dressed. After that, you and I need to talk before Fury gets here to debrief you.”

“Okay,” Peter agreed. He felt a sense of dread about the debriefing. He wondered if it was just Director Fury coming for the debriefing or if the whole Disciplinary Committee would be arriving. Peter knew he would have to face the consequences of the failed mission and his actions at the Hydra base. He had all kinds of questions about what would happen now. Would they send him to live at the research facility? 

But Peter was eager to see his aunt, so that lifted his spirits a little. He just hoped this wasn’t going to be the last time he would see her. 

———————

Freshly showered and dressed, Peter entered Tony’s office cautiously. He could tell immediately that his mentor was in a serious mood. 

“Hey, Pete. Come sit down. We don’t have a lot of time before Fury gets here, but we need to talk about what happened at the Hydra base. About what the Avengers found when we got there.”

Peter bit his lip anxiously. “Do you mean how I used the blue webs? I know I said I wouldn’t use them on people - not even bad guys, but I thought I had to…” 

“You made the right choice in doing that,” Tony reassured him quickly. “By making that choice, you saved your life and the lives of your teammates. That’s what you are supposed to do. Understand?”

Peter nodded, but felt there was more coming. 

Tony continued, “But you need to be aware of what happened to some of the Hydra agents you webbed up. This is going to be hard for you to hear, but I think you would prefer to hear it from me than from Fury. Am I right?” 

Peter looked frightened as he nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Tony took a deep breath. “The first thing you need to know, is that you kids didn’t directly kill anyone. None of the gunshot wounds were fatal. All the Hydra agents were alive when you escaped.”

Peter could guess what was coming next. “But some of them died afterwards?” he asked quietly. 

Tony nodded. “Yeah. You know that Hydra agents have a cyanide tooth, right? Well, some of them used theirs to commit suicide.”

Peter’s eyes went wide and his face drained of color. “Why? Why would they do that?”

“Even nonlethal gunshot wounds can have serious complications,” Tony explained. “ With the blood loss and infection setting in, they were probably in a lot of pain. Maybe they couldn’t handle it. And maybe they couldn’t live with the idea of being permanently injured.”

“What do you mean permanently injured?” Peter asked in shock. 

Tony’s voice was gentle, “Several of the agents who survived needed amputations. Some of those who committed suicide would have too.”

“Was that because I used the blue webs?” The boy asked quietly. 

Tony wanted to say no but, he knew he had to be honest. “Being webbed up for such a long time… not being able to get treatment or to move did make their injuries more severe. It made them more desperate.”

Peter’s eyes filled with tears. He hung his head. “So I did kill them. I’m sorry, sir. I’m so sorry.”

Tony shook his head, “No, Pete. You didn’t kill them.”

“I created the blue webs to help people. But instead, people died because of them. People died because of something I created.”

Tony closed his eyes. He knew exactly how that felt. He had learned to live with that. Now it seemed that Peter would have to as well. 

Peter continued bitterly, “The fact is that there are dead people who would be alive now if it weren’t for me.”

Tony shuddered, remembering how Ross had once said something similar. 

“Peter, listen to me. Sometimes we make the wrong decision and innocent people die as a result. But that’s not what happened here. Sometimes we do all the right things and people still die. You made the right decision. And those people who died were not innocent.”

Peter nodded, but he still looked at the floor and blinked away tears. Tony wasn’t sure if he was getting the message. 

“Pete, you’re not a killer.”

The teen winced. He held back a sob. “I almost killed the doctor. On purpose. I held a gun to her head. I was going to shoot her,” Peter admitted in a low, shameful voice. 

Tony’s mouth went dry. He hadn’t expected to hear something like that from the Kid. 

“In self-defense?” he asked. 

Peter shook his head. “No, sir. In cold blood. I had already webbed her to the wall.” Peter looked down, unable to meet his mentor’s eyes. 

“She’s the one who tortured you?” In all honesty, Tony wanted to kill her himself. 

“Yes, sir. And she acted like she owned me. Like I was just a thing. And I was so… mad and hurt. I wanted to hurt her,” Peter’s voice cracked with emotion. 

“You wouldn’t have killed her,” Tony said confidently. 

Peter misunderstood him. “I’m a trained marksman and it was point blank range. I would have killed her.”

Tony cringed a little. It felt so wrong to hear those words from Peter’s mouth. 

“I know,” he said gently. “But you didn’t take the shot. Because you wouldn’t. Because that’s not who you are.”

Tony pulled the boy into a hug and held him tightly. Peter cried. The stress and emotional pain of his ordeal finally came out and he sobbed. Tony comforted him, by whispering encouragements and rubbing the Kid’s back. The older man knew Peter had to let it out and it was best to do that now, before the official debriefing. 

Eventually, Peter stopped crying. He wiped his eyes with his knuckles and sat back. 

“Are you okay, Kid?” Tony asked gently. 

“Yeah, I guess,” Peter replied, his voice a little rough. 

Tony could see that the Kid was still struggling with this, but he had to move on. “I know this has been a lot to deal with, Pete, but there’s still something else we need to talk about.”

“Mr. Stark, FRIDAY told me that Project Legacy has been discontinued. What does that mean?” 

Tony sighed. “FRIDAY told you? I didn’t want you to find out that way. It means exactly what it sounds like. Project Legacy is done. Gone. Kaput.”

“What about the Disciplinary Committee? Don’t we still have to finish the hearing?” Peter asked cautiously. 

Tony shook his head. “There is no Disciplinary Committee anymore. That’s done with.”

“So I won’t be sent to live at a research facility?” Peter’s voice held the smallest hint of hope. 

“No,” Tony replied firmly. “And that was never going to happen.”

Peter let out a breath. “Okay.” Then he frowned. “But if Legacy is discontinued, what does that mean for us now? For me and the other kids?” 

“Pete, what do you want to be when you grow up?” Tony asked abruptly. 

The teen looked startled by the question. “I’m going to be Spider-Man, of course. And whatever S.H.I.E.L.D. needs me to be. Hopefully I’ll be in their scientific research division, but if they want me to be a field agent, I’ll do that. Or a translator, like my mother was.” He gave a small shrug. 

Tony sighed. “That’s not what I asked, Kid. What do you _ want _ to be when you grow up, not what do you _ plan _ to be? What would you want if your parents hadn’t sighed your life over to S.H.I.E.L.D. the minute you were born?”

That last part came out more irritated than he intended and Peter noticed. 

“You don’t approve of my parents’ choice?” The boy sounded a little defensive. 

Tony tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice. “I don’t understand it. I don’t see how they could justify sacrificing their son for their ideals. Look, I don’t want to criticize what they did because they’re your parents. And because Jarvis always told me not to speak ill of the dead.” At Peter’s confused look he clarified, “Jarvis the man, not the AI. Although the AI may have told me a few times as well… Nevermind… The point is, S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t control your life anymore. They don’t control your future. You are free to pick whatever you want. What do _ you _ want?”

Peter’s expression changed from confusion to panic. “But S.H.I.E.L.D. was going to pay for my college! They were going to give me a job! My future was secure! Now what am I supposed to do?”

Tony put his hand on the teen’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. “Kid, I’m going to pay for your college. Wherever you want to go. And with your talents, you could get a job anywhere.”

“Mr. Stark, you don’t have to pay for my college,” Peter protested. 

Tony laughed. “Pete, do you have any idea how many scholarships I sponsor? I pay tuition for kids I’ve never even seen, whose names I don’t even remember. Anyway, you have had a fully-funded college savings account since the day I discovered that Spider-Man was a genius high school kid in Queens.”

Peter was shocked. He had a college fund? 

Tony continued, “And even if that weren’t the case, I’m one of your legal guardians now. It’s my responsibility to take care of stuff like that.”

“You’re what?” Peter was even more stunned. He wondered what else he had missed while unconscious. He shook his head. “But guardianship ends when I turn eighteen. You’re not responsible after that.”

“Oh. That’s right. I hadn’t really thought about that.” Tony considered, “Maybe we should look into something more permanent than guardianship. If that’s something you would want.”

Peter felt like his brain was going to short circuit. Was Tony saying that he wanted to _ adopt _ him? 

The man chuckled at the Kid’s incredulous expression. “It’s okay, Pete. We’re getting ahead of ourselves here. That’s a discussion for another time.” His voice was soft and gentle. “Just know that your future is secure.” 

The boy took a deep breath and tried to settle his racing thoughts. “Okay. Okay. That’s great… that’s all great for me. But what about the other Legacy kids? Are you gonna pay for college for all of them?”

Tony smiled. Of course Peter would immediately think of the other kids. “Yes, that’s the plan,” he replied casually. 

Peter’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“Well, not just me. We’ve been setting up the Legacy Foundation for S.H.I.E.L.D. Orphans. The Foundation will pay for all the kids’ education, provide medical care, and cover any additional expenses their guardians need help with,” Tony explained. 

“You did all that?” Peter’s voice was astonished. 

“Pepper did most of the work setting it up,” Tony admitted. “But I had to sign _ a lot of papers. _”

Peter laughed, knowing how much Tony hated signing paperwork. 

“Kid, you never answered my question,” Tony reminded him. “What do you want to be when you grow up? You can be anything you want.” 

He shrugged. “You mean you don’t want me to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?”

Tony sighed. “It’s not a matter of what I want. If you really want to work for S.H.I.E.L.D., I’ll support that. If you want to work for SI, I’ll support that. If you want to do something completely different… whatever you decide to pursue, I’m behind you. I will support you and encourage you and help you along the way. As long as it’s what you choose for yourself.”

“I… I don’t know what I want,” Peter admitted slowly. He had never considered anything else. “I want to be Spider-Man, but besides that, I don’t know.” 

“That’s a great answer, Pete,” Tony said with a grin, much to Peter’s surprise. “You’re fifteen. Your life shouldn’t be mapped out. There’s a lot of possibilities to explore.”

Peter smiled weakly. Everything they had talked about was all so overwhelming. And they hadn’t even done the debriefing yet. 

“Boss, Director Fury has arrived,” FRIDAY informed them. “He will meet you in the Avengers’ conference room.”

“Are you ready, Pete?” Tony asked. 

Peter looked at his mentor, his guardian. “No,” he said honestly. “But let’s do it anyway and get it over with.”

Tony cracked a smile as they stood up. “That’s my boy!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really dialog heavy. I struggled to get the conversations right and I’m still not sure if I did. 
> 
> Thanks to all for the comments and kudos. I really appreciate all of them. I can’t believe how long I’ve been working on this story, but it will be wrapping up soon.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The debriefing takes place. And an old friend returns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for another long wait between updates! I didn’t do a lot of proofreading on this chapter, so I apologize in advance for any typos. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it!

Tony and Peter took their time getting to the Avengers’ conference room. On the way there, Tony explained that the debriefing would include Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and several of the Avengers. They would call each child in one at a time to describe what had happened and answer questions. As the oldest and team leader, Peter would go first. 

Peter was nervous. He definitely was not looking forward to the debriefing. But he knew it was necessary and he just wanted to put the whole ordeal behind him. 

As they approached the small lounge just before the conference room, they could hear young voices. A grin spread across Peter’s face and his pace quickened. Tony had to adjust his stride to keep up. 

They entered the lounge and found Zee, Jackson, and Molly seated in the couches. There was also another teen, who looked to be a couple years older than Peter. Tony almost didn’t recognize him, but then realized it was Jason Wang, who Tony had first met during his visit to Camp Legacy. 

Wang smiled widely and stood up upon seeing them. “Parker! Dude, it’s great to see you!” 

Peter was elated. Wang was one of his oldest and closest friends. The two gave each other a quick brotherly hug. 

Then Wang shook Tony’s hand. “Hello, Agent Stark. I mean, Mr. Stark.” 

“Hello, Jason, how are you?” Tony repressed a chuckle. 

“I’m good, thank you,” Wang answered politely. He pointed to the closed door. “They’re ready for you, sir. They want to talk with you before things get started.”

Tony nodded. “See you in a few minutes, Pete.” Then he went into the conference room. 

“What are you doing here? Are you part of the debriefing?” Peter asked his friend. 

“No, they won’t let me sit in on that.” Wang gave a sheepish smile. “I begged Director Fury to let me come. I had to come see you guys.” 

Wang took a deep breath and just looked at all of them before continuing. “When you guys went missing, it was just awful. And then we found out Hydra had you, it was terrifying. S.H.I.E.L.D. sent us all home. But I kept calling Fury for news and updates. I felt like it was my fault.”

Peter shook his head, “Your fault? How could it be your fault? You weren’t even there!”

Wang frowned. “But I was Mission Commander. I was responsible for the whole mission and all the teams. I should have listened to you when you said you sensed something was wrong!” 

“It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known what would happen,” Peter assured him. “There was nothing you did or didn’t do that caused this.” The other kids were quick to agree. 

Wang looked grateful for the reassurance. “I’m just glad you’re all okay. I was really worried.”

Peter gave him a weak smile. He decided to change the subject a little. “Did you hear about Project Legacy? That it’s over?”

This was news to the younger kids, from the looks on their faces. But Wang nodded. 

“Yeah, I know. Mr. Stark called me yesterday.” He gave a goofy grin. “Can you believe that? Iron Man called me.”

Peter laughed a little. “Really? What for?”

“Well, you know I’m starting at Stanford in a few weeks, right? And Project Legacy was supposed to pay for everything.”

Peter nodded. He knew Wang was really excited to be starting college. 

“Well, Mr. Stark wanted to let me know that I didn’t need to worry about my tuition and fees or anything else. He said Project Legacy was ending, but he was setting up a foundation to cover all of our educational expenses.” 

“Yeah, he told me about the foundation,” Peter remarked. 

Wang was excited. “Mr. Stark said I could study anything I want and I don’t have to promise to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. or for anyone else. Can you believe that! It's amazing!”

Peter was happy to see his friend so elated. And he was glad that Mr. Stark had set everything up. He had been worried about the Legacy kids’ futures. 

The conference room door opened to reveal Maria Hill. “Peter, we’re ready for you.” 

He looked at his teammates and then followed her in. Nick Fury sat at the head of the table. Agent Hill took a seat close to him. Seated along the sides of the table were Steve, Clint, Natasha, and Tony. 

There was an empty chair at the far end of the table. Peter steeled himself and then took his seat.

————-

Tony had seen the footage from the Hydra base. He had read the Hydra’s notes and Helen Cho’s reports. He had witnessed Peter’s injuries and sat at the boy’s bedside while he recovered. 

Tony thought he was prepared for the debriefing. He thought he was ready to hear the Kid tell about his ordeal in his own words. 

He was wrong. 

Peter told his story quietly and, for the most part, dispassionately. He started with getting ready the day before the mission and described everything: how he and the team had infiltrated Base 14B, their capture, the testing and torture he had insured, their escape, and their long trip to the Avengers Compound. Peter spared no details. 

Peter’s unemotional demeanor was chilling and made the story all the more horrifying to listen to. Maybe it would have been easier if Peter had cried, as he had when talking to Tony earlier. But it seemed that his emotion was spent, leaving the boy eerily calm. 

The adults let him tell his story completely from start to finish without interruptions. Fury looked through a fine while Peter spoke. A few of the others took notes. Then Maria, Steve, Natasha, and Clint asked the teen a lot of questions. Peter answered all of them with the same, eerie calmness. Tony didn’t ask anything, he just took it all in. Nick Fury didn’t ask anything until the session was almost at an end. 

“The night before the mission, you had a conversation with Jason Wang. Is that correct?” the Director asked. 

“Yes, sir,” Peter replied warily. 

“You told him that you had a bad feeling about the mission. That your spider sense was triggered every time you thought about it.” 

“Yes, sir.”

“What did Wang say when you told him about this?” 

Peter shrugged. “Wang thought it was nerves. He thought I was just anxious because it was my first time as Team Leader.”

“Did you agree with that?” Fury asked. 

Peter shook his head. “No, sir. My spider sense doesn’t usually work like that.”

“So you knew that something dangerous was going to happen on the mission. Is that right?”

Peter’s calm demeanor finally broke as he stumbled for an answer. “No… I didn’t know… But maybe, yes?”

Fury frowned. “Which is it, Parker? Did you know something was going to go wrong with the mission?”

Tony interrupted angrily, “What are you accusing him of?” He glared at Fury. The other adults shifted uneasily in their seats. 

“I’m not accusing him of anything.” Fury replied gruffly. “I’m just trying to get an understanding of what the boy knew.”

Peter looked uncertain. “I didn’t know. The mock missions were supposed to be safe. It was just a bad feeling. I couldn’t explain it.”

Fury looked back at Peter. “Parker, why didn’t you report that? And I mean report it to someone other than Wang. To one of the adult agents.”

Peter avoided eye contact and focused on the table top. “I guess I thought something  _ could _ happen, but I didn’t think anything  _ would _ happen.”

“So you intentionally withheld information that was important to the mission,” Fury pressed on. 

Peter looked horrified and shook his head. “No,” he gasped. 

The adult Avengers erupted all at once: “Hey, that’s not fair!” Natasha said angrily. At the same time Clint loudly protested, “He didn’t do anything wrong!” While Tony shouted, “Damn it, Fury!”

“Enough!” Steve called in a loud authoritative voice, stunning the others to silence. 

The Captain turned to Fury angrily. “This was S.H.I.E.L.D.’s failure. Don’t try to pin blame on a kid, especially this kid. You’ve asked your question and gotten your answer. Now move on.”

Fury looked a little surprised by Steve’s reprimand, but then gave a slight smile. It only lasted a moment before his expression was unreadable once more. 

“Moving on,” the Director said, “Once your team escaped the Hydra base, whose decision was it to take a bus here?”

Peter looked right at Fury and replied, “It was mine.”

“And why did you make that decision. Why didn’t you call S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Avengers or Stark?”

It was the question Tony had wanted to ask for days. He leaned in closer to hear the Kid’s answer. 

Peter thought for a moment, then said. “I couldn’t call S.H.I.E.L.D. because I didn’t know who at S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised. I didn’t call Mr. Stark or the Avengers because every time I considered it, my spider sense flared up. It was warning me not to. I couldn't ignore it again.”

“So you do learn from your mistakes.” Fury remarked with a trace of sarcasm. 

The Avengers all looked ready to fight with him, but the Director silenced them with a gesture. 

“Your spider sense was right. We found that communications in the entire area were being monitored by Hydra’s regional headquarters. If you had tried to call anyone on a regular phone line, they would have caught you immediately. You would have needed a secure line.”

“I didn’t have access to a secured line,” Peter told him. 

“I know. You made the right decision by getting your team out of there. Well done, Parker.” 

Peter looked startled. “Thank you, sir.”

“Okay, we’re done here,” Fury said, closing the file in front of him. 

“No, we’re not,” Peter countered boldly. “I have questions of my own.”

Fury looked at him with a bit of surprise, but gestured for the teen to go ahead. 

“What happened to the Hydra kids?” The boy asked. 

Tony smiled a little. Personally, he didn’t give a damn about the Hydra kids, but it was pure Peter to be concerned about them. 

“They are at a secure facility. S.H.I.E.L.D. basically took over a juvenile detention center to house them. They’ve all been brainwashed by Hydra. Right now, they are undergoing assessments so we can determine which ones can be deprogrammed and rehabilitated. Probably the younger ones can. Those kids will be placed in stable S.H.I.E.L.D. affiliated homes.”

“And the others?” Peter asked.

“The others will probably remain in a S.H.I.E.L.D. lockdown facility for the rest of their lives,” Fury replied matter of factly. 

Peter frowned. “So while one group of kids are freed from S.H.I.E.L.D.’s authority, another group is placed into it.” 

Fury’s tone was harsh. “The Hydra kids are trained spies and assassins…”

“So are the Legacy kids!” Peter replied in a raised voice. 

“Pete,” Tony said calmly, demanding the Kid’s attention. “There’s no other choice. Those kids are too loyal to Hydra to be out in society.”

“Yeah,” Peter agreed. He knew they were right. After all, he had seen it firsthand. It still hurt to think of those kids locked up forever. 

“Any other questions?” Fury asked calmly. 

Peter nodded. There was something he still wanted to ask - needed to ask. He figured it was now or never. 

“That doctor… the Hydra doctor… she told me that you could have stopped what happened to me after the spider bite. That you chose not to. You chose to make me Spider-Man. Is that true?”

Fury smirked. “You chose to make yourself Spider-Man. No one else picked that for you.”

“Could you have stopped it?” Peter persisted. 

Fury drew in a deep breath. “After you got sick, your uncle called and we rushed you to a S.H.I.E.L.D. medical facility. It was apparent that you were undergoing some kind of radical transformation. Your DNA was changing rapidly. Theoretically, there was a way to stop it - a sort of antidote to the super soldier serum. But it had never been tested. And you were so young. It was considered too risky to try it. The doctors thought it was safer to just let the transformation run its course.” 

Peter frowned.The answer wasn’t completely satisfying. He was going to have to think about it. 

“How did Hydra know about that?” Natasha demanded. 

Fury shrugged. “No idea.”

Natasha scowled. It was obvious she intended to find out. 

Peter looked at Tony, “Am I done now? Can I go?”

The man didn’t even give Fury a chance to respond. “Yeah, Spiderling, you can go.”

————————

Debriefing the other three children didn’t take as long as it had with Peter. They had less to tell and fewer questions to answer. Each of them told pretty much the same story. They spoke about how frightened they had been. They told how Peter had been so hurt, but had looked out for them. That he had been strong and brave and had inspired them to be strong and brave too. 

After all the debriefings were done, the children were sent to have some lunch while the adults finished up matters in the conference room. 

Tony watched nervously while Fury signed the paperwork that ended S.H.I.E.L.D.’s official guardianship over all the Legacy kids and effectively terminated the project. 

“You do know S.H.I.E.L.D. is still interested in using Spider-Man on missions,” Fury said matter of factly as the last paper was signed and he set down his pen. 

“No,” Tony said adamantly, glaring at the director. “He’s been a child soldier for you long enough. Now it’s time for him to be more of a child, less of a soldier.”

Fury disagreed. “The boy demonstrated that he is able to handle a crisis situation. He took care of his team and kept them focused. He was able to solve problems under extremely stressful circumstances. What this incident has shown us is that he has real potential to be a strong leader in the field. We need to hone those skills.”

“What this incident has shown is that Hydra is ready to take him apart to find out how he works!” Tony shouted. “I’m not going to let that happen. He’s not going on anymore missions for you.”

“So you’re going to stop him from being Spider-Man?” Fury challenged.

Tony sighed. “No. I know I can’t stop him. Spider-Man is part of who he is. But for now, he can stick to the small stuff, close to the ground. Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.”

Steve spoke up, “He should still train with us. He should start attending team meetings, including mission briefings and debriefings.”

Tony shook his head. “Training, okay, sometimes. But he doesn’t need to be at meetings.”

The super soldier turned to the billionaire. “Fury’s right about one thing. Peter has strong leadership potential. We’ve been treating Peter like the lowest ranking member of the team, because that’s what he’s been up to now. But we ought to be recognizing him for what he actually is - the future leader of the Avengers.”

Steve looked around the room, then continued, “We’re getting older and the threats we face aren’t going to disappear. But I have a feeling that new heroes will continue to emerge. One day there will be a new generation of Avengers. And they are going to need a strong, well-taught leader. Peter is the obvious choice to fill that role.” 

Clint and Natasha were nodding. “He’s right,” the archer stated. Natasha murmured her agreement as well. 

Tony shook his head. “We can’t choose that role for him. If we do, we’re no better than S.H.I.E.L.D..”

Steve nodded. “Agreed. We’ll train him and teach him, but he can decide for himself if it’s what he wants.”

“Do you really think he won’t want it?” Natasha asked with a hint of a smile. 

“He’ll definitely want it,” Tony replied. “That isn’t the point. The point is that he has a choice.” 

——————-

Pepper and Laura Barton set up an amazing spread for lunch in the Avengers common kitchen. There were all kinds of sandwich platters, salads, cut up fruits and vegetables with dip, a variety of chips, and assorted cookies. The food covered every counter and the entire kitchen island. 

After the four kids were debriefed, they were called in to eat. Wang and the Barton kids joined them. Soon Sam, Bucky, Rhodes, Wanda, and Vision showed up as well. Eventually, the other adults came out of the conference room and gathered for lunch as well. 

Fury and Hill ate quickly, then left to get back to S.H.I.E.L.D. Wang left with them, but the teen promised to keep in touch with Peter and the others. 

As lunch was winding down, Natasha caught Peppers eye and gave her a nod. The two women shared brief, conspiratorial smiles. 

“Alright, listen up,” Pepper got everyone’s attention as she pulled a large bag out of the kitchen closet. “Natasha and I got up early this morning and did some special shopping.”

Natasha took over. “Now that the debriefing is over and Project Legacy is officially done with, our special guests will be leaving tomorrow.” She pointed to Zee, Jackson, and Molly. “But we’ve loved having you here and we wanted to give you something special to remember your stay at the Avengers Compound.”

Pepper handed each kid, including Peter, a colorfully wrapped present. They could all hear Cooper and Lila complaining in the background.

“Don’t worry, we didn’t forget you,” Pepper laughed as she handed the two of them gifts as well. “Go ahead, everyone open them.”

The kids tore into the packages. Each one was a limited edition Avengers tee shirt that depicted the entire team - including Spider-Man. The kids were overjoyed with the gifts. 

Nathaniel Barton tugged at Natasha’s leg. “What about me, Auntie Nat?” 

Natasha scooped up the littlest child. “Oh, we didn’t forget you either! But the shirts don’t come in your size, so you got something extra special. Come with us!” Pepper pulled out another colorful package and the two women took the preschooler out of the room. 

“We’ll be right back,” Pepper said over her shoulder as they left. 

Clint chuckled. Laura gave him a questioning look, but he just shrugged. Whatever Pepper and Natasha were up to was sure to be amusing. 

“We should have a big barbecue tonight,” Steve suggested to Tony. 

“Sure. Okay. Why?” The billionaire asked. 

“Like a little celebration before the kids leave and the Bartons head home. Like the parties we have after a successful mission, but family friendly.”

Tony smiled. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I’ll get FRIDAY to order everything.”

Suddenly a small figure ran into the middle of the room. 

“Look at me! I’m Spider-Man!” Shouted the red and blue clad preschooler. 

Indeed the child was wearing a complete, impeccably detailed head to toe mini Spider-Man costume. The boy proudly demonstrated how the toy web shooters were loaded with silly-string. The boy was bouncing on his feet with excitement. He did look just like a miniature version of the hero. 

The Avengers all laughed, both at the tiny child’s joy and at Clint’s enraged expression. The other children gathered around Nathaniel, delightfully examining the details of the costume. 

The archer turned to Pepper, who was standing next to him. “How could you?” 

Pepper looked at him innocently, “Don’t look at me. It wasn’t my idea.”

Clint immediately looked over to Peter. But the expression of pure shock on the teen’s face was enough to prove that he wasn’t involved. 

He turned to Natasha. “You? You did this? You know how I feel and you did this?”

“Oh calm down,” Natasha replied, her eyes glittered with amusement. “It’s adorable. And look at how happy he is.”

Tony made his way over to Clint, tears of laughter filled his eyes. The billionaire clapped the archer on the back. “I guess your kids  _ don’t _ have to actually know who Spider-Man is to want to be like him.” 

Clint was not happy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to bring Jason Wang back to show that the other kids were affected by the events as well. 
> 
> I hope people liked Nat’s little surprise for Clint. More on that to come.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids face their future without Project Legacy. Natasha’s joke on Clint has unintended consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter! The story finally comes to a close.

The former Legacy kids had a lot of questions now that the program had been disbanded. 

Tony and Pepper explained that their relatives would now have full guardianship and would have the support of the new foundation in caring for their needs. Molly and Zee were obviously relieved and happy at that news. Peter saw how Jackson just looked down at the table and didn’t say anything. 

Pepper further explained that their medical expenses and education would be covered by the foundation, including full scholarships for college. 

“That all sounds great,” Zee said, “but I’m really going to miss the camp and seeing everyone.”

Pepper smiled reassuringly. “That’s not a problem. The foundation is going to host a summer program for you here at the Avengers Compound. And special weekends so you can get together at other times of the year as well.”

The kids were excited about that. “We get to come back to the Compound?” Molly asked in amazement. 

Tony smiled at her fondly, “You sure do. And we’ll have plenty of activities. We can do classes in whatever you kids are interested in. Plus there’s the training facilities, the movie theater, the pool, the bowling alley…”

“That sounds cool. Can we come too?” Cooper asked, looking from Tony to his father. 

Tony shrugged. “I don’t see why not, if your parents agree to it.” He looked pointedly at the adult Bartons. 

Jackson thought for a minute, then asked, “Where’s everyone going to stay?”

“That’s a good question,” Tony remarked. “We’ve got some ideas. We could expand the guest wing to accommodate everyone. Or we could construct a new building. Or maybe we’ll set up some yurts in the field out there. I don’t know, we could always just line the halls of the Compound with bunk beds.” 

Peter laughed and shook his head. 

“Well, I don’t care where we sleep as long we get to come back!” Molly said enthusiastically. The other children agreed. 

“We’ll figure it out,” Pepper told them. “And it won’t be bunk beds in the hallways.”

“We’ll see,” Tony said with a wink. 

———————-

The kids were all restless. The excitement and stress of the debriefing, combined with the news that Project Legacy was ended, left them with a lingering nervous energy. 

Steve suggested that they take the kids to the gym for some light training. The children enthusiastically agreed, to no one’s surprise. About half the Avengers decided to go, while the others decided to help prepare for the barbecue in the evening. 

Everyone went to change into workout clothes. Once in his room, Peter debated with himself about what to wear. He really wanted to wear his web shooters. He knew he couldn’t use them, or even have them show, with the Barton kids around. But after everything he had been through, he craved the extra sense of security he got from just having them on. Slowly, he fastened them to his wrists. Then he pulled on a long sleeve tee shirt to cover them. He finished dressing in his athletic pants and gym shoes, then rushed to meet the others. 

The Avengers’ training gym was a huge space. Not only was it long and wide, it was also about four stories tall. This was designed to give the Avengers capable of flight room to practice aerial combat techniques. The gym had a variety of equipment, whatever each Avenger might need to work on. There was enough space that small groups could engage in different activities without interfering with each other. 

Clint was giving Cooper and Jackson an archery lesson, working on their stance and improving their aim. 

Natasha was showing Lila and Zee some basic hand to hand combat moves, mostly for self-defense. 

Steve was working with Peter and Molly, letting the two kids practice throwing and catching the Captain America shield. Peter never failed to be amazed at how it didn’t “obey the laws of physics” but was quickly learning to predict its movements. 

Tony was working with Rhodey on testing out the recent improvements to his leg braces. 

Along one side of the gym, Nathaniel haphazardly ran back and forth, still in his full Spider-Man costume and going at a preschooler’s full speed. He occasionally did somersaults and shot out his silly string “webs” while pretending to fight off bad guys. 

Each small group was engrossed in their own activities. So no one noticed when Nathanial stopped running back and forth, his attention focused on the rock climbing wall set into one end of the gym. 

Peter caught Cap’s shield smoothly and was about to make a snarky comment about the super soldier’s frisbee skills, when he suddenly felt something was terribly wrong. Maybe it was his spider sense. Maybe it was a small noise from above, or maybe a slight movement he caught in the corner of his eye. But all his attention was pulled upwards in an instant, on high alert. 

“Oh no,” Peter gasped. 

A tiny red and blue figure was standing on the small platform at the top of the rock wall. He was almost thirty feet up and looked like he was ready to jump. 

“Look at me! I’m Spider-Man!” Nathaniel shouted. His voice echoed through the gym. 

Everyone looked up. First stunned, then frantic, all the adults shouted at the little boy to stop, to stay where he was. The child’s arms were raised and he bounced on his feet.

Tony and Rhodey called for their suits. Clint started to climb the rock wall as quickly as he could, desperate to reach his youngest child. Steve raced over to climb as well. 

Nathaniel ignored all of them. He gave an excited whoop and shot a colorful silly string web at the ceiling as he leapt from the platform. 

The boy plummeted through the air. 

His gleeful exclamation turned into a scream of terror as Nathaniel realized what was happening. Completely panicked, he grabbed at the silly string web, which was stuck to the ceiling, but obviously had no effect in slowing his fall. 

Then a real web attached itself to the ceiling next to the silly string. 

Peter, without his suit but with his web shooters, swung through the air. He caught Nathaniel mid-swing, one arm wrapped around the small boy. Peter released his web, and held the preschooler to his chest with both arms, allowing his sticky nature to secure him. The teen landed on his feet, crouching a little to absorb the impact and keep Nathaniel from getting hurt. 

Clint ran over immediately and tried to pull his son from Peter’s arms, but the boys were still stuck together. “Let go of him,” Clint demanded, anger and fear filled his voice. Everyone else ran over as well. 

Peter released Nathaniel, and allowed the little boy’s father to pull him away. Clint hugged his son tightly, then set him down on his feet. Clint pulled the Spider-Man mask off his child and quickly looked him over for injuries. 

Cooper’s eyes were huge as he stared at Peter. “You’re Spider-Man!” he exclaimed in astonishment. He reached out and pushed up Peter’s sleeve. “Oh wow! You _ are _ Spider-Man! Those are your web shooters! That’s so cool! Will you sign my Spider-Man poster?” 

“Cooper, get away from him!” Clint grabbed his older son’s arm and tugged him away from Peter. The archer looked at Peter angrily, “Stay away from my kids!” he said warningly as he pushed his children behind him.

Peter was stunned. “But… I…” He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what he had done wrong. Tony put a comforting hand on Peter’s shoulder. 

“No! Just stay away. You’re dangerous! My son could have been killed!” Clint said fiercely. 

“Hey! That’s not his fault!” Tony defended his kid. 

Natasha tried to calm the upset father. “Clint, Nathaniel’s fine. He’s alright. Peter saved him.”

Clint just shook his head. “I’m gonna take Nate to medbay and get him checked out.” 

Tony gave him a stony glare. 

Steve nodded, “You do that. But I’m sure he’s fine.”

Clint carried Nathaniel from the gym, his other two kids following behind. Cooper turned and looked at Peter one more time before he exited. 

Natasha gave Peter a reassuring look, then ran after Clint. 

The teenaged hero looked at his mentor, now his guardian. “I’m sorry. What did I do wrong? I just wanted to help. I couldn’t let him get hurt.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Pete,” but Tony still sounded angry. “Clint was wrong to blame you.”

“He’s just scared and upset,” Rhodey added.

“You did great,” Steve reassured him. “That was an amazing quick reaction.” 

“It was way cool how you saved him,” Jackson piped up. Zee and Molly were quick to agree. 

Peter smiled slightly, but was clearly still rattled by Clint’s reaction. 

“I think that’s enough time in the gym,” Tony said to him. “Let’s go down to the workshop. There’s someone there waiting for you.”

He turned to Steve. “I’m guessing you can look after these three for a while,” Tony pointed to Jackson, Zee, and Molly. 

Steve nodded. “Go ahead. We’ll be fine.” 

———————

Peter calmed down when they reached the workshop. Being back there with the familiar sights, sounds, and smells immediately gave him a sense of peace. 

The boy grinned when he saw his suit on one of the work tables. He ran over to it immediately. 

Tony gave a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t get a chance to do those upgrades we talked about. Other things came up.”

Peter nodded, understanding. “That’s okay.” He picked up the mask and pulled it on over his head. 

“Hi, Karen!” Peter said, eager to talk with his AI after so long. He was met with silence. “Karen? Are you there?”

Tony gently pulled the mask off him. He had a sad look on his face. “I had to take Karen from the suit and move her to an isolated server.” 

Peter was confused by that. “Why?”

“S.H.I.E.L.D. had altered her programming. I had to isolate her so I could do a thorough analysis and restore the integrity of her code,” he explained and gestured toward the server that was temporarily housing the AI. 

Peter walked over to it. “Is she okay in there? What is she doing?”

“She’s fine,” Tony reassured him. “She’s dormant. It’s like she’s sleeping.”

Peter nodded, but still looked concerned. 

“You know, Kid, if we work together, we could probably finish checking her coding in a few hours. I bet we could get her back in your suit before dinner.”

The two worked diligently for the rest of the afternoon. As always, they worked well together. Each worked in a section of code, then they double checked each other’s work and pushed updates to the server. They had a familiar rhythm of work, music, and light banter. Finally, the last of the code had been scrubbed and they were able to transfer Karen back into the Spider-Man suit. 

Tony plugged the suit into the interface device so they could both talk to the AI. 

“Karen?” Peter asked tentatively. 

This time he was greeted by the AI. “Hello, Peter! It’s very good to hear your voice again.” 

“It’s good to hear yours too,” Peter said with a wide grin. 

“Karen, How are you feeling?” Tony asked. 

“Hello, Mr. Stark. I feel good. My programming feels cleaner than before, less conflicted. I had a good sleep.”

“That’s great. It’s what I was hoping for,” Tony replied. 

The AI said excitedly, “I had dreams about you, Peter. And about the many adventures we will have together.”

Peter smiled, warmed by the thought. “I dream about that too sometimes.”

Tony grinned at the obvious mutual affection between the teen and the young AI. It was good to know that they had each other. 

He half-listened while Peter and Karen caught up for a while and looked over pieces of other projects that he had neglected all summer. 

Rhodey knocked on the glass door and Tony waved him in. The two adults stepped to the side of the room to talk privately. 

“How’s Nathaniel?” Tony asked with genuine concern. 

Rhodey smiled. “He’s fine. Not a scratch or a bruise on him. And very excited about how he was saved by the _ real _ Spider-Man.”

Tony chuckled. “And how’s Barton?”

Rhodey gave a small laugh. “He’s calmed down. He got a lecture from everyone - and I mean everyone including the whole team, May, and even his own wife - that he should be thanking Peter instead of blaming him.” 

Tony laughed outright at that. He would have loved to have seen May Parker lecture the archer. He would need to have FRIDAY show him the footage later. He glanced back at Peter, to see the boy looking relieved and a little amused by the news. 

“Anyway,” Rhodey continued, “the barbecue’s starting. I’m here to drag the two of you outside.”

Peter’s stomach growled loudly at the thought of food. 

“I guess we’re on our way,” Tony wrapped an arm around the Kid and led him out of the workshop. 

———————

The barbecue was prepared in the grounds just outside the residential building. Long tables were set up, filled with fruit platters, potato and macaroni salads, chips, grilled vegetables, and a variety of desserts. Steve and Bucky were manning the grill, preparing to serve up steaks and chicken. 

The kids, and some of the adults, were playing in the field. A few were kicking around a soccer ball while others seemed to be playing a game of tag. 

The whole atmosphere was lighthearted and laid back, relaxed. 

When Tony and Peter appeared, Laura Barton immediately rushed over to them. She grabbed Peter and embraced him tightly, much to the teen’s surprise. 

“Thank you so much for saving my son,” she said with tears in her eyes. 

Peter stammered a little. “It’s… uhm… it was nothing. I’m just glad he’s okay.”

Clint walked up to join his wife. Despite what Rhodey had said, Peter braced himself for the archer’s anger. Instead, Clint gave a slightly embarrassed smile. 

“Peter, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blamed you for what happened. Thank you for what you did.”

Peter just nodded. He accepted the apology, but didn’t know what to say. 

Laura smiled at the teen with genuine affection. “I was wondering if maybe later you would put your suit on and let me take some pictures of you with Nathaniel. It would mean the world to him.”

Peter was shocked. He looked over at Clint to gauge the man’s reaction. 

“Sure, why not,” Clint said with false nonchalance, “Sounds like fun.”

Tony put a hand over his face, pretending to stroke his chin, but really to hide his smile. 

“Uhm…yeah, sure. I would love to do that,” Peter eventually replied. 

“Food first,” Tony said firmly. “A growing Spiderling needs to eat.” He led the boy over to a table and started heaping piles of food on their plates. 

——————

After they ate, Peter changed into his Spider-Man suit to take some pictures. Nathaniel was so excited he could barely stay still for the photos. He insisted on all kinds of poses. Natasha changed into her suit as well and joined them for even more spider-themed pictures. Black Widow, Spider-Man, and the Spider-Tot together were an adorable sight. 

Cooper and Lila wanted photos with Spider-Man too. Then the Team Two kids decided they wanted some pictures as well. After all, they had known Peter’s secret identity for a long time, but they had never seen him in the suit before. Peter didn’t mind any of it and had a great time posing with all the kids. Laura and Pepper both took a ton of pictures while Tony and May watched proudly. 

Afterwards, while the other kids ran off to play in the training field, Peter pulled off his mask and went over to the lounge chairs. Clint was relaxing in one; Peter sat down next to him. He was a little tired after the long day and he was, after all, still recovering from his ordeal. 

For a while, they sat in silence. Then Peter nodded towards where Cooper and Jackson were kicking a soccer ball back and forth. 

“He needs a new place to live,” Peter told the archer. 

Clint was startled by the statement. “You mean Jackson? I thought he lives with a cousin and his wife.”

Peter nodded slightly. “He does. But they don’t really like him.”

Clint’s brow furrowed. “Are they abusive to him?”

“No,” Peter replied. “More like emotionally neglectful.I mean they feed him and clothe him and all that. But they never show him any affection. I think they only took him in because they were afraid of S.H.I.E.L.D..”

“Pete’s right,” came a voice from behind them. Clint turned a little in his chair to see Tony standing there. 

The billionaire continued, “The cousin refused to take on full guardianship. Twenty-six Legacy kids and that was the only refusal. Fury is supposed to put me in touch with some S.H.I.E.L.D. families who might be willing to take him in, but it’ll be hard.”

Peter watched the kids for another minute or so, then looked at Clint. “He gets along with your kids. And I saw you teaching him archery. You like him.”

“I can’t just take in another kid…” Clint started. 

“Why not?” Peter asked innocently. “I heard you have a big farmhouse with a lot of room.”

“That’s not the point,” Clint protested. “The point is…”

Peter interrupted, “The point is that he needs a caring home with people who actually like him. He’s a good kid. He deserves a good home.” 

Clint sighed. The teen had a point. “I’ll have to talk to Laura about it,” he said. 

The archer shook his head slightly. He had wanted the Legacy kids to stay as far away from his own children as possible. Now he was actually considering making one part of his family. 

Tony had no doubt that Daniel Jackson would be going home with the Barton family. 

Peter seemed satisfied that the matter was settled. He turned his attention to where Nathaniel was chasing Molly, shooting at her with his silly string “webs”. Both children were laughing, obviously enjoying their game. Peter chuckled and Clint followed the young hero’s gaze. 

“We’re never going to get that costume off him,” Clint muttered. But his voice had amusement rather than anger to it. 

Tony laughed. “There’s worse role models to have.”

Clint nodded. “Yeah. That’s true,” he admitted gently. Then he more firmly added. “But I’m instituting a strict rule that none of my kids can become superheroes until they’ve finished college.”

Tony laughed. “That’s fair. One Kidvenger is enough for now.” He ruffled Peter’s hair affectionately. The Kid looked up at his mentor with a wry smile. 

—————-

The next day was bittersweet as everyone gathered to say goodbye. The Avengers had certainly enjoyed their young guests, who had been like a breath of fresh air in the Compound. They were a strong reminder of everything the Avengers fought for. 

Still, it was heartwarming to see the happy reunions of Molly with her grandparents and Zee with her uncle. The new guardians were a bit star struck at meeting the superheroes, but it was obvious that their main focus was on their kids. Pepper had already had long talks with all the Legacy kids’ guardians, so there were only a few details to wrap up. 

The kids had a hard time separating after everything they had been through together. Molly cried a little and even Zee had to blink away tears as they hugged Peter and Jackson good-bye. But they were all consoled by the promise of getting together again. 

After the girls were gone, the Barton family prepared to head home as well. As Peter had expected, Jackson was going with them. Laura hadn’t hesitated for a second before agreeing to take him in. The Barton kids were looking forward to showing him around the farm. 

“I can’t believe I’m going to be living with Hawkeye!” the boy whispered to Peter joyfully. He packed his few things into a small duffle bag Natasha had given him. “I’ve never even been to a farm before!” 

“I think you’ll have fun. And they’ll be good to you,” Peter told him as they walked to where the family was waiting by their minivan. 

Sure enough, Nathaniel was wearing his Spider-Man costume again - or maybe still - this time without the mask. Clint took Jackson’s bag and packed it with the other luggage. 

“Wait! I almost forgot!” Cooper yelled as he dug through the items in the trunk. He pulled out a cardboard tube and waved it at Peter. “Will you sign my poster?”

Peter looked at Clint and the archer nodded. The young hero owned the tube and unrolled the poster. It had a great picture of Spider-Man swinging between buildings, one arm extended and ready to shoot another web. The teen grinned at the sight of it. He drew a spider emblem in the lower corner and wrote “Spider-Man” underneath it. Cooper beamed like it was the best thing ever. 

Clint clapped Peter on the shoulder lightly. “You’re a good kid.” It was all he said, but his meaning was clear. 

The Avengers all said goodbye to their teammate and his family. There were promises to see each other again soon. 

As they drove off, Tony wrapped an arm around Peter. May was on the other side of the teen. “What about you, Kid? Are you eager to go back to Queens or do you want to stay here for a few more weeks?”

Peter looked at May. “Can I stay here?” Now that Tony and May were both his guardians, he wasn’t sure whose permission he needed. 

May smiled at him, “That’s fine. What do you want to do about your birthday?” It was coming up soon. 

Peter faltered. “I don’t know. With everything that happened, I hadn’t even thought about it.”

“We could do a celebration here. Invite your friends from school over,” Tony suggested. “Do you think they would be interested in coming to the Compound?”

“Oh my god! Really? Ned would go crazy! Even MJ would think it’s cool, even if she won’t admit it.” May smiled, knowing how true that was. 

Tony and May made more suggestions about what they could do for his birthday. Peter half-listened. He nodded along, but really just enjoyed the sound of their voices. He felt secure knowing his life was no longer controlled by S.H.I.E.L.D. He had guardians who loved him and a team who looked out for him. It gave him a warm feeling to know that he was where he truly belonged. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for reading and leaving comments and kudos! I’ve really appreciated the encouragement. This story ended up longer than I had thought it would be, but I’ve enjoyed telling it. I’ve been working on a couple new stories and am looking forward to sharing them.


End file.
